Searching for Acceptance
by E4me100
Summary: To many, she was a traitor, banished from her own home. To some, she was a friend, a loyal companion willing to sacrifice everything for the safety of Middle-Earth. And to one, she was more than mere words could describe. 10th Walker. LegolasXOC
1. Prologue

I stopped running and wiped the sweat off my brow, sliding my pack off my back and sitting on the ground. Looking up at the position of the fading sun, I noted that I was just north of the Ford leading to Rivendell. I took a strip of dried meat out of my traveling bag and ate, planning out my next move.

My name is Íverin, and I am a daughter of both Elves and Men. I am a half-blood, with my father being of Osgiliath, of Gondor, and my mother being a Wood-Elf, but whose place of birth I never really knew. It is dangerous, to be who I am. Gondor has exiled me because of a decision which was not mine, so now I have only the Elves to look to for support. A long time ago, just after my birth, my family was attacked by bandits, and there my mother was slain.

Staring into the trees around me, I sighed. I had been searching for them for days. Where could they be? Sweeping my fringed chestnut brown bangs to the side, I took in the familiar scenery around me. If I wished, I could easily head east and return to Rivendell; to the safety of my home. But I could not, I _would not _return to Lord Elrond with failure. That was not an option.

Not too long after the bandit attack, my father and I fled to Minas Tirith, but within a month's time he came down with a horrible illness that had no cure at the time. Fearing that the growing power of the Dark Lord Sauron would come to Gondor and for my safety, he sent me to live with the Elves in a land called Rivendell (Imladris to its natives). Shortly after I was taken away, he died. This all happened in less than a year.

My eyes, green with a small burst of brown around the pupils, flicked back and forth between the trees, and I stood deathly still, listening and watching for any sign of human life other than my own. Not only did I fear for the Halflings that were wandering through the woodlands, I was worried about Estel. He was an excellent Ranger, possibly the best there was, but even he could not compete with the evil that hunted them.

Upon arrival at Rivendell, Lord Elrond, the ruler of the fair land, had taken me in, declaring himself my foster-uncle. Elrond himself had three blood children: Arwen, his daughter, Elladan and Elrohir, the twins, and one foster-son, whom he had named Estel. The four of them were my cousins, but we treated each other like brothers and sisters growing up. I was the baby of the family, with the twins being the oldest. Arwen was like the sister I'd never had; we did almost everything together.

After finishing off my meat, I reached for my flask of water and took a drink. Glancing into my pack, I frowned. Even if I did manage to find them, I likely wouldn't have enough food for all six of us. I could only hope they were healthy enough to fend for themselves. I shouldered my pack again and set off, placing a hand on the sword that hung from my belt. Slipping silently through the trees, I headed west. I would go as far as I had to if my cousin was in need.

Many, many years after I had arrived in Rivendell, Estel left us to go live with the northern Rangers. It had broken my heart to see him go, but after I learned from Elrond about his past, I was able to deal with the grief. After all, it was his life, not mine. Who was I to command him, telling him where he could and couldn't go?

Suddenly, I stopped. My ears picked up the faint sound of a horse headed my way. Immediately I threw my supplies to the side, behind a large pile of rocks, and sprang up into the nearest tree, fitting an arrow to my bow as I crouched on the branch. My heart pounded, adrenaline racing through me. Normally, one would be scared of what could be coming up on them in the dusk. But not me. Elrond had always said I was strange in that way, the way I loved fighting. I always corrected him, saying it was not just fighting. It was defending those I loved, and feeling victorious that I liked so much.

Now how, you may ask, can I remember all this information? How is it that something over a thousand years ago can be so clear to me? The answer: It is not. I remember absolutely nothing from my childhood, save for some of the years spent in Rivendell. I learned this from Elrond, who told me everything the eve of my eighteenth birthday. After that, I felt like a misfit. Like I would only bring trouble to those around me. So I left the beautiful Elf city, escaping into the woods I loved so much for a few years. Eventually, I realized I simply was not ready yet to live on my own, so I returned, hoping my former family would still love me. They did, of course, and I lived there happily ever since. Well... almost.

The sound of hoof beats drew nearer. I licked my lips and tensed, ready to release my arrow, making sure I was perfectly aimed. I had never seen a black rider before, and I had never hoped to, so I could not place an image with the name of the creature that echoed in my mind. Whether that was for the better or worse, I didn't know.

One day, I returned to Minas Tirith, sent by Estel, seeking news of a creature known as Gollum, whom he had been hunting for quite some time. I had expected to see a friendly face or two, but instead, I found myself prohibited from entering. The guards I had been born with scowled upon seeing my face, throwing me away from the gates. I still remember the thud I made and the pain that ripped up my shoulder as I hit the hard ground. I was an outcast for 'disloyalty to the White City.' I tried to argue that I had not abandoned them, that my father had sent me away, but they wouldn't listen. So I returned home, and a cold hate has been in my heart towards Gondor ever since.


	2. Return to Rivendell

Suddenly, the horse and its rider appeared, and I relaxed my muscles, putting my weapons away. I slipped back to the ground without a sound, sticking the landing. A wide smile grew on my face as I called out to the horseman. "Glorfindel!"

The elf turned to the sound of my voice and smiled back. "Íverin! I've been looking all over for you!" He jumped off his horse and ran to me, and I embraced him. "Lord Elrond requests you come back home at once." He went back to his horse, his pale hair shining in the last of the sun's rays. I climbed up onto the proud white animal, and Glorfindel sat in front of me. With a flick of the reins, we were off, weaving through the trees at an astonishing speed. The wind whipped through my hair.

"Why did he call me back? Have Estel and the Halflings been found?" I asked him.

"Yes!" he replied. "Lady Arwen brought the Ring-bearer across the Ford this afternoon! He has been badly wounded, and by one of the Nazgûl, no less."

I gasped. "Oh, no! Is he alright?"

Glorfindel shook his head as the trees suddenly disappeared and we sped across the river Loudwater. "He has fallen into blackness. They were being tracked by all of the Nine, and they managed to stab him with one of their swords. That is all I know." As he slowed his horse down once we were on the other side of the river, he turned his head around to look at me. "How long have you been searching for them?"

"Twelve days," I said. "I never found a trace of them. Did you?" Glorfindel and Arwen were the other two that Elrond had sent out to find the traveling party.

He shook his head, and the horse climbed the bank. "I did not, either. I was searching in the south, though I did not expect them to come from that direction."

I laughed. "Then why did you search there?"

"Lord Elrond's orders. And I certainly can't afford to defy him, of all people."

It was then that we finally came into view of the magnificent realm of Imladris. The buildings and houses were made of smooth stone and carved wood, but the way they fit into the valley so perfectly made it seem like they grew up out of the earth themselves. The aura surrounding the place was that of happiness, singing, magic, and laughter. The sparkling waterfall that fed the hungry, wide river below it. The largest building, the House of Elrond, looming beautifully in the distance. The trees and flowers and life that grew here...it was amazing. Every time I walked back into it after spending a day in the woods, I was awed, no matter how many times I laid eyes on it.

As soon as we passed over the bridge leading over the river Loudwater, I jumped down from Glorfindel's horse and ran into Elrond's home. Not a moment after I set foot inside, I saw a familiar face, and my heart leapt with joy. "Estel!" I cried.

He turned around and grinned. "Íverin." I ran to him, and we hugged each other tightly. Estel was tall, much taller than I, and he had dark, wavy hair that framed his face and reached down to his chin. His eyes were a blue-grey, and a scruffy dark beard grew on his chin.

"I've missed you so much, cousin," I said.

"And I have missed you as well." He let me go and ruffled my hair. "Were you tracking us as well?"

I nodded. "Yes, but you were too sneaky and swift for me, it seems. Arwen found you first."

His smile disappeared. "Just in time, too. I was beginning to think we'd lost him. In fact, I still do." He looked worried.

I put a hand on his shoulder for comfort. "I heard about the Ring-bearer. Is he...did he..."

Estel sighed. "I don't know. He could very well be dead, as Arwen says he went unconscious just after she got him across the river. Lord Elrond is healing him as we speak."

"Well, could I still visit the Halfling? I would very much like to meet him, or at least see him before he dies. If he dies," I said, glancing up at my cousin. A flicker of doubt was in his eyes. "Estel." He looked up at me. "Don't be troubled. There is always hope, no matter what." I smiled.

He smiled back. "You always did have a gift for seeing the bright side of things," he said quietly. Turning away, he then called to me. "Come, Íverin. You will have to ask Elrond if you may still see young Frodo. But first, I shall take you to someone else you would like to see." He led me upstairs and into a section of the House that was for guests. The walls were all a pale cream color, and at the end of one hall, outside a door, there stood another tall man in grey robes, with a long, lighter grey beard.

I beamed and ran up to him. "Gandalf!" I cried as I wrapped my hands around his waist.

He put a hand on my back. "Ah, Íverin. I was beginning to wonder when I would see you again. You're late," he said with a wink.

I laughed. "And you're not?"

Gandalf just shook his head, and I knew what was coming next. "A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He-"

"...arrives precisely when he means to. I know, I know." I laughed again, and Gandalf and Estel laughed with me. Suddenly, my smile faded, as I remembered the danger. "How is the Halfling?" I asked, looking up into the old wizard's deep blue eyes. "Is he alive?"

The man I had loved like a grandfather all my life closed his eyes, and let out a breath. "I do not know, Íverin. He was stabbed by a Morgul blade."

My eyes widened. I felt like a small child in the presence of the old man again. "But...can...can Lord Elrond not heal him?"

"He is trying," said Gandalf quietly. "All we can do now is wait, and pray that he will be spared." He gave me a reassuring smile. "Worry not. The first thing you should do is change out of those clothes, my dear."

I blushed. I had forgotten the fact that I was still in my worn-down travel wear. "Oh...yes! Yes, I think I'll do that now." I gave Gandalf one last squeeze and darted down the hallways to my own private guest room.

Stepping in, I went straight to the closet and pulled out the first gown I saw. It was a very simple dress, all in the same shade of a pale green. It had no sleeves, just two small off-shoulder straps, and a small bunch of pearls that was pinned at my left hip. I quickly washed myself in my private bathroom and donned the dress, along with a pair of silver slippers that were hidden from the long gown.

Once I had combed through my hair, I looked into the full-body mirror that hung from the wall near my bed. I was not particularly tall or curvy, but I was skinny and as healthy as could be. My brown hair was shorter than most elf-maidens, as it only flowed to just past my shoulders. My bangs were always swept off to one side, and my face was fair. I had a light complexion, but a bit darker than most elves I knew, who always seemed to be so pale.

Nodding with satisfaction, I stepped back out into the hallway and began to take a walk around the massive place where Lord Elrond and his children resided. Eventually I reached the gardens in the back of the complex, and was absentmindedly walking through an open area of grass, staring at the ground, when I heard a voice from nearby.

"Look, Merry! It's an Elf!"

Startled, I snapped my head up to see two small creatures with large, hairy feet sitting on a bench several yards away from me. One of them had reddish hair and bright blue eyes, and he wore a deep blue shirt with dark green pants that came down a bit past his knees. The other was blonde with greenish-blue eyes, and wore a white puffy shirt with a yellow vest, and brown pants similar to his companion's. Neither of them wore any shoes, and their ears were pointed, similar to mine.

The blonde one spoke. "Now look what you've done, Pip. You've scared her!"

I smiled and walked over to them. "It's quite alright," I said calmly. "Not everyday do a couple of Halflings get to see an elf-maiden in person, right?"

The redheaded one frowned. "Elf-maiden? Is that how you say 'girl' here?"

I laughed. "Yes, I guess you could say that." I curtsied. "My name is Íverin, adopted niece of Lord Elrond." Their eyes widened. "And who might these two dashing young Halflings be before me?"

The one with the blonde hair blushed a bit and stood up. "I'm Meriadoc Brandybuck. Merry to my friends." He bowed. "It is an honor to meet you, my lady." There was a moment of silence, and then Merry reached over and nudged his friend. "Introduce yourself!"

"Oh! Well, hullo, Lady Íverin! I'm Peregrin Took, but you can call me Pippin. Or Pip. Whatever you'd like."

I smiled. "Well met, Merry and Pippin. And what are you two doing out here, if I may ask?"

"Well," said Pippin, "we were waiting for Frodo to wake up, but he's been sleeping in a room upstairs for hours. Merry and I thought we might have a look around."

"The garden is a lovely place to start," I nodded. "There's so much to look at!"

"You're telling me," said Merry. "It's so beautiful here! I almost don't want to leave."

I frowned. "Oh, but you can't think about leaving yet! You've only just arrived!"

"I know, but Sam said we'd be shoving off soon once Frodo is ready to go home."

" We live in the Shire, and it's quite far away, and Sam thinks we should get a good head start before the winter sets in. Wouldn't want to be caught out there in the cold," Pippin said as he looked out to the vast expanse of wilderness to the west.

"That is true," I said, "but even so! None can spend only a day in the fair land of Rivendell and leave satisfied. You must explore more!" I extended a hand to both of them. "Come with me! I have much to show you."

The two Halflings looked at each other for a moment, and then each took a hand. I smiled and lead them around the gardens and the House of Elrond, showing the all the secrets and tricks I had learned from exploring the place myself when I was an elfling. By the time we had gone back to the guest hallway, it was getting late, and the boys were tired. Pippin was yawning through every other sentence.

"Well," said Merry, sounding just as sleepy, "as much fun as this has been, we should be heading off to bed. Goodnight, Íverin!" He dragged Pippin and himself down to the room next to where Gandalf had been standing earlier. I smiled and slipped into my own bedroom nearby, gazing at the stars outside my window as I changed into a silken nightgown, slipped into my bed, and let the warmth of sleep envelop me.


	3. Invitations and Introductions

**A/N: Hey guys! Hope you're liking my new story so far! ^^ Thank you very much to those of you who have faved! *glomps* If you ever have any suggestions, don't be shy; let me know! :D I don't bite! Just as a disclaimer, I own nothing in this story except for Íverin. She's my own OC, but the rest belongs to the genius known as J. R. R. Tolkien (and Peter Jackson, to some extent). Enjoy chapter 2!**

***Note: Is it just me, or is EVERYBODY posting stories about a half-blooded elf being in love with Legolas lately? O_o**

I opened my eyes and blinked slowly, sunlight pouring in the room. I laid in my bed for a few more moments, unmoving, before I finally climbed out of bed and readied myself for the day. I pulled another long, strapless gown with a white lace top and long purple skirt and pulled it on, then took a long, light purple cloak with wide sleeves and draped it about my shoulders. Pulling on yesterday's pair of silver slippers, I left my room and headed downstairs to the main hall.

To my pleasure, I saw Elrond on my way. "Uncle!" I cried out.

When he looked up and saw me, I smiled and waved. He returned the gesture and came over to me. "I was wondering when you might awaken." A smile was on his old, but wise face. He also was taller than I, and he had long, straight, dark brown hair that reached past his shoulders, along with grey eyes full of memory. Then, with a much more serious face, he began to walk away. "Come with me, Íverin, and quickly! There is something I must ask of you."

I followed him through the house and into his private study. He sat in one of the large cushioned chairs, and motioned for me to do the same. "What must I do, uncle?" I said.

He smiled. "First, there is something I must tell you. I have invited several very important guests from all over Middle-Earth to come to this house. Most of them should be arriving today, so do not be surprised if you see strangers roaming these halls."

"Go on," I nodded.

"The second thing," he said, "is that the reason I have invited all these guests to arrive today is because I am planning on having a secret Council tomorrow afternoon, so that all the peoples of Middle-Earth can hear the tale of the Ring of Power and decide what to do with it."

I frowned. "Can't it stay in Rivendell?"

Elrond shook his head. "No! We do not have the power to conceal such an evil thing, and even if we did, it would bring too great a threat here. It cannot stay in Rivendell. And what I request of you is this: that you come to the Council as a representative of the Elves, along with several others. There is also to be a banquet this evening to welcome our guests, and I would like for you to attend that as well."

"M-me?" I stammered. "But...why me? Surely you have other advisers who would deserve the seat at the Council more than me..."

He laughed softly. "The reason I ask this of you is because you already know a great deal about the Ring and its history. And you are also very smart." I smiled at the compliment. "I think your opinion would be good to hear."

"Well, if you wish it, uncle, than it will be so!" I stood up and smiled. "I will go."

He smiled as well. "Thank you, Íverin. Now you may go. If you still wish to meet the Ring-bearer, he just woke up about an hour ago. I know not where he may be, but you know these halls better than they. You will find him quickly."

As I exited the small room, I turned to face him. "I might just keep to myself for most of today. Though I would like to see Merry and Pippin again, and possibly some of the other guests." With that, I left my uncle to himself and made for the garden. Hopefully my new Halfling friends would be there again.

When I came to the gardens, no one was there but Estel, sitting alone on a stone bench. I went and sat beside him. "Hello, cousin." I followed his gaze and looked out among the wild. "Enjoying the day, are you?"

"Indeed I was," he said with a smile, "until you arrived."

I laughed and lightly punched him in the arm. "Oh, stop. You know you love me."

"That I do," he replied. "like a sister. A funny, but irritating sister."

I frowned. "Do you really think that about me?" I whined.

Seeing through my act, he grinned even wider. "Of course I do!" We laughed.

After a moment of silence, I asked him, "Are you going to the Secret Council tomorrow?"

"How did you find out about that? Were you eavesdropping again?"

"No," I said with a smirk. "I was invited."

"Oh really?" He raised an eyebrow. "By who?"

"Uncle. He thinks my opinion will be good to hear. Though I'm not sure how much help I could be, but I'll go anyway. You know how much I hate being left out of these things."

He chuckled. "That I do. You nearly cut off my head when I wouldn't let you come to the twin's secret hideout when we were younger!"

I laughed along with him. "Only because you would always brag about how much fun you had without me!"

After a long while of sitting and talking with Estel, he suddenly stood up. "Do you hear that?" He craned his neck, straining to hear what I recognized as the sound of horses.

"Horses," I told him, "and not many. Maybe two or three."

Suddenly, Estel took off running across the fields. I chased after him. "Estel!" I cried. "Where are you going?"

"To see some old friends!" he faintly answered from far away.

I groaned and gave up the chase. Turning back to the House of Elrond, I saw Pippin standing just outside the door leading to the gardens, watching as Estel ran away. Upon seeing me, he said, "Hullo, Íverin. Where is Strider going?"

"Strider?" I asked. "Is that what you call him?"

"Yes. I should hope that's his right name, because that's what he told us when we met him at Bree." He frowned. "Is that really his name?"

I smiled warmly. "He has many names, Pippin. I call him Estel, but I suppose Strider is a good name for him, too."

"Oh," Pippin replied. He looked back in the direction that Estel has gone. "But where has he gone?"

"He is going to visit some friends of his that have just arrived. Lord Elrond has invited people from all over Middle-Earth to come and stay as guests in his house for a few days."

As soon as I finished, I knew I shouldn't have told him that, because the next word out of his mouth was, "Why?"

I sighed. Really, Pippin shouldn't know about the Council, but...there was no point in lying to him. "I'll tell you, but you must promise me that you will keep it secret, and not tell anyone else." I crouched down so that I was at eye level with him. "Can you do that, Pippin?"

He must have known I was being serious, because he nodded gravely. "Yes, Íverin. Your secret is safe with me."

I smiled. "Good." Looking around to make sure no one else would overhear us, I whispered, "Lord Elrond is planning to have a Secret Council, like a meeting, with people from all over the world. All I know is that it has to do with the Ring."

"Oh, you mean Frodo's ring?" Pippin asked.

I nodded. "Yes. I would guess that Frodo is invited, too. I am going, and surely Lord Elrond and Estel would be there, too, but I cannot say who else was invited."

"Do Merry, Sam, and I get to go?"

"I don't know, Pippin," I said, standing, "My advice would be to just wait and see if Lord Elrond asks you himself. If he does not, then do not go, and never speak about it, even if you are invited. You never know what kinds of spies the enemy has around us."

He sighed. "Even in Rivendell we can't escape Sauron. Will there ever be any freedom from evil, Íverin?"

I put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "There was a time...long, long ago, where all the free peoples of Middle-Earth were happy and were hindered by no evil. Who's to say that won't happen again?"

"Well, that's a good thought," Pippin smiled. "Are you going to the banquet tonight?"

"Yes," I smiled. "Hopefully we will see each other there! And maybe I could meet your friends as well."

"Good!" Pippin laughed. "Sam'll be the happiest hobbit on the planet to see an elf-maiden up close."

"Hobbit?" I asked. "Is that what you call yourselves in your country?"

"Sure," he answered, "something like that." We laughed and headed back inside the grand building, excited for the night ahead of us.

"Friends and family! Eat, drink, and be merry! For tonight we not only celebrate the gathering of all the great people of Middle-Earth, but the recovery of one of our dear Halfling friends." Lord Elrond's loud voice demanded the attention of all in the room.

The people in the dining hall broke into applause, and a small hobbit with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes stood briefly and waved from the head of the table. I smiled and clapped along with those around me.

"The grace of the Valar was with young Frodo this morning," Elrond continued, "and because of that, we must rejoice! Enjoy yourselves!" And with that, the feast began.

I cheered from my seat at the table. It was quite a large table; big enough to hold fifty or so, though we only took up the front half of it. At the head sat Lord Elrond, with Glorfindel and Gandalf seated on either side of him. Estel sat at the front also, and Arwen with him. The Ringbearer was also up at the front, and after that sat the host of Dwarves that had been invited. Next came those who were Men, and lastly came my people, the Elves. Pippin, Merry, and one other who had traveled with them were seated conveniently across from me.

"Ah, finally!" cried Merry, "I can feast of Elven food!"

I laughed, and then looked to the third hobbit that sat among us. "And who might this young man be?" I said with a grin.

He looked up at me for a second with an anxious expression, then quickly looked down. His eyes were a deep green, and his hair similar to Pippin's, but a bit more blonde. He was slightly chubbier than his friends, and looked both scared and awed to be here.

"That's Sam," said Pippin with a mouth full of food. "Sam," he said to his friend, "this is Íverin. Merry and I met her in the gardens yesterday!"

Again, Sam looked up at me, but did not look away this time. "Hullo, my lady." he sipped his drink.

I also began to eat my supper. "Welcome, Sam! I've heard about your liking for the Elves from your wonderful friends here." He reddened slightly, and I laughed. "There is no need to be nervous! Listen to Lord Elrond, and be merry! For you are in the House of the Lord, in Rivendell, the fairest land in all the west."

"And the land of good drink, too!" Pippin grinned. "What do you call it?" He pointed to his glass.

"That, my friend, is wine." I said. "It is a good drink when taken lightly. But beware! Do not drink it heavily, lest you become unwell. Too much of a good thing can sometimes be a bad thing, as my uncle used to say."

"Oh, yes!" Merry said to Sam, "She's also Lord Elrond's neice! So, in a sense, you're lookin' upon royalty, Sam!"

This made Sam blush all the more. "Forgive my friends, Lady. They're a bit wild."

I laughed again. "Sam, it is no trouble! I enjoy the company of Merry and Pippin, and of yourself, too. But come! You must tell me more about yourself. I have heard much about your people, but not of your country. Tell me about the Shire!"

A spark of happiness flickered in Sam's eyes, and I could tell I asked a good question. "Well," he began, "you'd love it if you love it here as much as I think you do. The most beautiful parts of it are the areas where there's naught but hills. Good, green, rolling hills as far as the eye can see. That's in my opinion, anyway."

For hours we sat and talked, eating and drinking our fill (though Pippin may have had a bit too much), and I listened to all the great tales of the Shire that the three hobbits wove for me. After many of the guests had off and gone to bed, I finally sat up and smiled.

"Well, my friends! This evening has been most wonderful, and all the stories you have told me make me want to get up and go to the Shire to see it with my own eyes." They all smiled. "But alas, it is late. The night is growing old, and as much as it saddens me to say this, I must be going." I rose from the table. "Good night, dear hobbits! I hope we may see each other again soon!"


	4. The Council of Elrond

**A/N: Whew! I've been typing like mad lately! Now you know what happens when I get inspired. ;) Just a heads up, although this is a LegolasXOC fanfic (and believe me, it WILL get romantic), that won't come in for several chapters, if I had to guess. But trust me, it will happen. Also, I know that in the book, the Fellowship doesn't leave until a month after the Council. But for the purposes of moving this story along, I'm just gonna say that they left like, a week later instead.**

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own anything in this fanfic except Íverin. But I do have all 3 movies and all 4 books, which is close enough for me. :D**

"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old, you have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor."

I sat on a tall wooden chair, on a balcony in Elrond's House, clothed in pale brown robes with my hair free and flowing. Many other chairs surrounded me, each one occupied by one of those invited to the Secret Council of Elrond.

"Middle-Earth," Elrond said, "stands upon the brink of destruction; none can escape it. You will unite, or you will fall." His gaze caught every person's eye. "Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom!" Now he gestured to a chair on the edge of the semi-circle. "Bring forth the ring, Frodo."

A small hobbit with dark hair and blue eyes, the one who had been at the bead of the banquet table, rose from his chair, and placed the Ring of Power upon a pillar of stone for all to see with a shaking hand. Exhaling, he returned to his seat, and my eyes followed him. So this was Frodo Baggins, the Ring-bearer. I looked at him. He sat next to Gandalf, and he looked quite nervous. He had every right to, seeing the evil that he was made to bear.

Suddenly, another voice softly spoke. "So it is true." I looked to the opposite side of the circle and found the voice's owner: a Man, with reddish hair like that of Pippin's and blue eyes, with a lean face touched with a scruffy red beard, dressed in dark leathers that bore the White Tree of Gondor. An old anger flared up in my heart.

"In a dream," he said quietly, "I saw the eastern sky grow dark. But in the west, a pale light lingered. A voice was crying, "The doom is near at hand, Isildur's Bane is found!" He leaned forward, and reached for the ring. "Isildur's Bane..." he murmured, as if in a trance.

"Boromir!" Estel's sharp voice commanded. In my mind, I scowled. Already he had been seduced by the Ring's power. But a warning sounded deep in my heart, and my gaze flicked to the small golden band. Was I, too, vulnerable because of my blood? Was I weak?

Now a deep, rumbling voice overtook the silence. Instantly I clapped my ears to my head and shut my eyes, but I could still hear the menacing voice in my head. _"Ash Nazg Durbatuluk, Ash Nazg Gimbatul, Ash Nazg Thrakatuluk, Agh Burzum-ishi Krimpatul."_

And suddenly, the voice ceased, and the darkness was lifted from my heart. When I looked around, I saw that all had been shaken by this mysterious chant.

"Never has anyone dared utter words of that tongue here in Imladris, Gandalf," Elrond said firmly, though I could tell that even he had been disturbed by what had been said.

"I do not ask for pardon, Master Elrond," said Gandalf's elderly voice, "for the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the west! The Ring is altogether evil."

It was silent for a moment, and then Boromir spoke up once more. "It is a gift...A gift to the foes of Mordor! Why not use this ring?" Then, with a proud smirk, he stood up. "Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay." I rolled my eyes. "By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe!"

"When last I checked, Gondor had never traveled north to defend the land of Rivendell," I said. The elf beside me chuckled softly.

Boromir glared at me, but continued. "Give Gondor the weapon of the Enemy! Let us use it against him!"

"You cannot wield it! None of us can!" said Estel. "The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master!"

Now it was he that Boromir scowled at. "And what," he sneered, "would a Ranger know of this matter?"

A tall, blonde elf three chairs away from me stood and stepped towards Boromir. "This is no mere Ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."

Boromir turned to the elf, but he was much shorter, and the look in the elf's eyes told him it would be unwise to talk back. I smirked.

Then Boromir looked back at Aragorn, still cruely, but with suprise. "Aragorn? This...is Isildur's heir?" Several people around the circle looked at Aragorn in suprise. Aragorn...it has been a long time since I called him that.

"And heir to the throne of Gondor," said the elf. Anger flickered in Boromir's eyes.

Suddenly, Aragorn raised his hand. In Elvish, he said, "Sit down, Legolas."

Legolas...I looked at him. I had heard that name before. He is the son of King Thranduil of Mirkwood; the prince, I believe.

Boromir glared at Aragorn once more. "Gondor has no king," he said, returning to his seat. "Gondor needs no king."

There was a short silence. "Aragorn is right," I said. "We cannot use it. It will only bring death and destruction to our lands."

"Then what are we to do?" Boromir spoke up again. "Simply throw it away? It is strategy! Sauron will never see it coming!"

I gritted my teeth. "Boromir." He looked up at me. "You are loyal to Gondor, yes?" He nodded proudly. "Then would you risk destroying your entire land? Bringing such a great evil to your country? If Gondor is found to have the One Ring, Sauron will not simply give up. He will strike harder, swifter, and faster than ever. And you will not," Boromir made to cut me off, but I raised my voice and leaned forward in my seat. "you will NOT be able to stop him."

Boromir seethed, but he did not argue. I sat back again.

"You have only one choice," said Elrond quietly. "The Ring must be destroyed."

One of the dwarves, short with a long reddish beard, grabbed his axe and stood up. "Then what are we waiting for?" With a cry he leapt forward and brought his axe down upon the Ring. There was a loud boom and crack, and smoke appeared, and I clapped my hands over my ears again and shut my eyes. When I opened them again, the smoke had lifted, and the dwarf lay on the ground with a look of utter horror on his face. The Ring lay perfectly intact on the pedestal, not a scratch on it, and the shattered remains of his axe blade were scattered across the ground. Several more dwarves jumped up to help their fallen comrade.

Elrond almost had a bemused look in his eye. "The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft that we here posses. The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade." His expression became grim again, and his hard gaze swept slowly over all of us. "It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came!" He paused. "One of you must do this."

For awhile, nothing could be heard. And then finally, Boromir spoke again. Frankly, I was getting tired of hearing him speak. "One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. The Great Eye...is ever watchful." I glanced over at Frodo; the poor hobbit looked paralyzed with fear. "It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire, ash, and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this." He shook his head. "It is folly."

"Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond just said?" cried Legolas, rising again. "The Ring must be destroyed!"

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it!" Gimli shouted, also standing.

"And if we fail, what then?" Boromir exclaimed. "What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?"

"I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf!" Gimli growled. "Never trust an Elf!"

I sprung to my feet, along with the rest of my Elven comrades. The Dwarves stood also, bickering and arguing. Everyone was agitated and shouting.

I glared down at Gimli. "If someone does not take it," I said, "we will all die! It is good enough that he is volunteering, while you sat and did nothing!"

Gimli frowned. "And what say you, Elf-maiden? Would you walk into Mordor willingly? None of us would! Your kind are always 'volunteering,' as you may say, but I call it showing off! You've had your chance; let others take the opportunity to prove themselves!"

I was about to retort, when the crowd began to quiet down. "I will take it!" a small voice shouted. I stopped and turned to look, as did everyone else. There stood little Frodo, holding the Ring in his palm, looking around at all the big folk surrounding him.

"I will take the Ring to Mordor," he said once all had quieted. "Though...I do not know the way..."

Gandalf smiled and walked over to Frodo, standing beside him. "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear."

Now Aragorn walked up to him. "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will." He gripped Frodo's shoulder. "You have my sword."

"And mine as well," I said. "for it is not an easy task to travel to Mordor, that much is certain." I took my place behind him, next to Aragorn.

"And you have my bow." Legolas joined us as well.

"And my axe," Gimli said. I glanced down at him as he stood beside Legolas and I. He looked quite uncomfortable.

Boromir also strode up to us. "You carry the fate of us all, little one," he said. "If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done."

"HEY!" There came a cry from the nearby bushes, and before any of us could react, Sam came rushing up, pushing between us so that he stood next to Frodo. "Mr. Frodo's not goin' anywhere without me!"

"No indeed," Elrond said with a smile. "It is hardly possible to separate you, even when he is summoned to a secret Council and you are not." Sam blushed.

"Oy! We're coming, too!" And with that, Merry and Pippin rushed up, taking their place in the small group.

"Anyway! You need people of intelligence on this sort of mission...quest...thing!" Pippin nodded.

"Well that rules you out, Pip," Merry whispered.

"Ten companions..." Elrond said thoughtfully. "So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!"

"Great!" Pippin said. "...Where are we going?" And at that, I couldn't help but smile. This would be an interesting journey.

I stood by my bed, and placed the last of my supplies in my pack. After allowing myself a small smile of satisfaction, I dug through the brown leather bag once more, running through a checklist in my head. Extra clothes? Check. Spare blankets? Check. Food? Check. Water?

I frowned. How could I forget water? I turned to leave and head down to the kitchen to grab my flask, but smiled when I saw Elrond standing in the door way. "Hello, Uncle," I said.

"Íverin," he said. "I wanted to speak with you before you and the rest of your comrades set off."

"Of course!"I sat down on my bed, and he next to me. "What would you like to talk about?"

He hesitated for a moment. "Are you sure that you want to go through with this?"

"Abosolutely."

"Even though you know you will be the only woman in the group?"

"Should that intimidate me?" I asked. "I am skilled enough with a blade and bow to defend myself. And I am a Wood-elf, don't forget."

"I know, I could not forget," he said with a smile. Then he looked serious again. "But Íverin, you do realize that your job is to remain with the Fellowship, no matter where they may go?"

"Yes," I said, "I know that."

"Even if they should choose to go to Gondor?"

I sighed. "In all honesty, Uncle, I hope it would not come to that. I do not think that will be the case, though. Gandalf and I talked, and he seems to have a path mapped out already. It does not lead us through Gondor, not as far as I know."

"But that may change," Elrond replied, "and it most likely will. Know this, my dear: if you go with them now, you cannot abandon them, no matter what."

"No matter what," I agreed. Then I asked him, "Why do you doubt me?"

"I do not doubt your heart, nor your determination or skill. It is your history that troubles me. You saw how quickly Boromir was affected by the ring. And I fear that because of your bloodline, it would be all too easy for you to fall to the same fate."

An image of the Ring flashed through my mind. I saw Boromir mumbling and reaching out for it. I shuddered. "No," I said. "I will not fall to it, of that you can be sure. You know me. When I make a commitment, I stick to it, through thick and thin. Why would that change now?"

"Well, if you still insist on going with them," Elrond said, "then always remember this. Keep your past hidden. Aragorn and Gandalf are the only two that know of it, besides yourself, of course. It will only bring you trouble to tell them. It would weigh them down, possibly even sway their decisions as to where they will go."

I frowned. "Gandalf is no fool. He would never do such a thing."

"Not intentionally, no," said he, "but I know that he is like a grandfather to you. He would not want to put you in a difficult position. And even if you are right and he would not do such a thing, I still do not want to risk it. Either way, tell no one of your parents, or where you come from. Do not even tell them lies, for that can only lead to trouble as well. You know that."

I nodded. "Of course I do! You raised me well enough." I smiled.

Elrond smiled back. "That is all I will say to you." He reached over and gave me a hug. "You are a strong woman, Íverin. I know that you will succeed in everything you do, but all the same, I wish you luck. And I love you."

"I love you too, Uncle," I said softly.


	5. Traveling South

**A/N: Woohoo! Chapter 5! :D I'm having so much fun writing this story, man. You have no idea. Hmm, what to say...well, I'll soon be done uploading all the chapters that take place in FOTR! That's encouraging! Enjoy this chapter! And thank you so much to all who reviewed! ^^ I love you guys! **

**Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING! (except for Íverin :3)**

I brushed my bangs out of my face for what seemed like the hundredth time that day and kept walking. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, and there was a cool autumn breeze, and the Company's spirits were high. We'd been traveling for a few days now, and I had managed to get some time to talk to almost every one of my companions, save for Legolas and Gimli. Where were they, anyway?

Coming to the top of a hill, I paused for a moment, looking around in awe. The land before me was nothing but large green hills, reminding me of the stories that Sam had told be about the Shire. The Misty Mountains and the area known as Hollin were just to our left. Gandalf hoped to reach the area within a few hours. Our plan was to make for the Gap of Rohan, and from there turn east to Mordor.

I turned to the hobbit coming up behind me with Bill the pony by his side, and started walking again. "Is this what the Shire looks like, Sam?"

He laughed. "Oh no, Íverin. The Shire's not nearly as empty. It's got more houses and hobbits and gardens in it. More of a home-y feelin' to it."

"But did you not say that there were great rolling hills?" I said as we descended.

"That there are, but not like these. In the Shire, the grass grows long and tall, and there's not all these big boulders about." As if to prove his point, we passed by a particularly large pile of dark rocks.

I laughed. "You must take me to your land someday, Samwise, now that you have seen my home." Suddenly, I saw Gimli just up ahead. My mood saddened as I remembered the Council. "I'll be right back, Sam." I quickened my pace until I was next to the dwarf. "Gimli," I said.

He turned around, and then sharply looked away upon seeing me. "Oh. Hello, lass."

I sighed. "I came to apologize. I...I should not have spoken those harsh words to you at the Council." He gave no response. "I am deeply sorry if I offended you. Can you ever forgive me?"

After a long silence, he turned around again and smiled. "I forgive ya, lass. Truth be told, I shouldn't have said what I said that day, either. We Dwarves have always been taught to be cold to you Elves, but...I'll be honest with ya, I never really saw the point to it. You're a beautiful race, and very wise, too."

"Thank you," I replied. "I'm on the same page as you. Why should we hate each other when we've not no good reason to? What happened in the past was certainly not of my desire."

"And neither was it of mine!" Gimli said. "What's say we start fresh, eh?"

I laughed. "Of course. Thank you again, Gimli."

Suddenly, the Company stopped. I strode up to the front with Gandalf. "What is it?"

He looked out over the land in front of us. "Can you see anything, Íverin? Any danger?"

I scanned the horizon. "No, there appears to be none."

"Good." He pointed to a large area of white rock, made of huge boulders stacked against each other not too far away. "We will camp there for awhile, and rest," he said to the others. "Make haste! Food within the hour, if we make it!"

"Hooray!" came Pippin's cheer. "I'm starved!"

I looked back and laughed. "You'll have to learn what it means to travel, then! On the move, you do not feed to satisfy. You eat only what is needed to stay alive and healthy."

"Hopefully that's a lot," Pippin said as we walked on.

Once we finally made it up to the campsite, Sam got a fire going, and we split the food and had lunch. Afterwards, Merry and Pippin sparred with Boromir, and Aragorn sat nearby and coached them. Gandalf sat on a rock, deep in thought, and Gimli sat beside him. I decided to spend the time climbing around on the rocks, but not too far away from my companions.

"If anyone was to ask for my opinion, which I'd note they're not," said Gimli, "I'd say we were taking the long way round. Gandalf, we could pass through the mines of Moria."

I jumped down from the rock I had scaled and walked closer. "Moria? Where is that?"

But Gandalf simply shook his head. "No Gimli, I would not go through Moria unless I had no other choice."

"What is Moria?" I asked again, but Gimli, looking defeated, had walked away.

Suddenly, a dark presence appeared in my mind. On instinct, I looked South, and saw a black blur against the pure white clouds.

Sam saw it, too. "What is that?"

"Nothing, just a wisp of cloud." Gimli waved it off.

"It's too dark to be a cloud," I warned. Legolas came up beside me to see it.

Boromir had noticed it as well. "It's moving fast...against the wind."

All of a sudden, Legolas cried out "Crebain from Dunland!"

"HIDE!" Aragorn shouted.

I darted over to Sam and helped him put out the fire. Aragorn and Boromir hid all our gear in some bushes. We all scattered amongst the rocks and shrubs. I hid in a small gap in between two rocks. For a moment, all was silent.

And then, seemingly out of nowhere, a mass of great black birds swooped in, swarming the campsite, their caws piercing my ears. They circled once over the rocky ground and flew away, and I watched them as they left, not climbing out until even I could no longer see them. "They're gone," I said. "What was that, anyway?"

"Spies of Saruman," said Gandalf. "Our passage south is being watched." He turned to the mountains. "We must take the pass of Caradhras!"

"What is Caradhras?" I asked Aragorn. He pointed to the biggest mountain near our camp, and I was in awe. "We're going through that?"

"Not through it," said Aragorn, "over it."

I shivered and brushed the snow out of my face, trying not to think about the cold, or how slow we were going. Well, I shouldn't say we. Legolas and I were just fine, as our steps were light, and we could easily walk on top of the snow-covered paths that Gandalf led us on without leaving so much as a dent. It was the others, who were not as light, that had trouble. The days always seemed to be the same; walking slowly alongside Legolas as the rest of the Company shoveled through the snow, with Gandalf trying to use his staff to push the snow out of his way. Either way, it finally gave me a chance to talk to Legolas alone.

"So," I said, as we waited for the others to break through a particularly thick snow drift. "you're the prince of Mirkwood?"

He nodded. "Yes, I am."

"What is it like there?"

He looked at me with a smile. "Have you lived in Rivendell all your life?"

"Yes," I said. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you're always so anxious to hear about the other lands of Middle-Earth. I guessed that you had never been out to see them for yourself."

I smiled. "To be honest, I haven't. The farthest I've ever been away from home was...out to the Trollshaws, I believe. But there's so much to explore there! I have plenty to keep me entertained, especially in the woods."

He nodded. "The forest as always been entertaining for me, too. I find it so easy to just...lose myself in the trees. If that doesn't sound too odd," he laughed.

I laughed, too. "That's exactly how I feel! The woods just has a calming sense to me. But you never answered my question. What is Mirkwood like?"

I could've sworn I saw him frown. "It is a beautiful place where the Elves keep it clean. But...a shadow has fallen upon the great forest, and it has been there for many ages. In so many places where it was once wonderfully green and beautiful, it is now tainted with darkness." He sighed. "I miss my home, and my father, but I do not miss the blackness that spreads from the woods now. Though my heart does long for a chance to be in the woods again."

Suddenly, there was a cry of victory from Gandalf; they had broken through. Boromir began the slow, grueling process of using his round shield to push the snow away, and Aragorn helped him. I looked to Pippin, hoping for him to make some sort of joke to cheer me up, but his eyes were closed, and even his spirits were down from the snow.

I nudged Legolas with my elbow. "Do you think this is even going to work?" I whispered.

"It will," he said, "But it will take several more days. A week, at least, to make it to the top."

I groaned. "At the very least, it cannot hurt to have a bit of warmth." I walked up to Gandalf. "Could we stop here and rest, Gandalf? At least for a bit?"

He shook his head. "No, Íverin. We must keep forging on."

"Please? The hobbits are weary." I gestured to the small folk, shivering in spite of their thick blankets.

"We are all weary," Boromir grumbled from beside me. I clenched my fist and shot a glare at him.

Gandalf shook his head again. "We will not rest until nightfall."

Suddenly, Legolas strode forward and looked out, as if searching the wind for something. "There is a fell voice on the air!" he said.

I heard it, too. I could not make out what it was saying, it simply sounded like a deep mumbling. Out of nowhere, there came a great rumbling, and I looked up to see a small group of rocks and chunks of snow come raining down. "To the wall!" I yelled, and pushed Gandalf and Sam up against it, using my body to shield them as best I could.

Once it had passed, I heard Aragorn cry out. "He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf! We must turn back!"

"No!" the wizard replied. To my shock, he slipped out from under my arm and climbed on top of the new snow drifts in front of us, unleashing is own spells into the bleak sky.

He was answered with more of Saruman's voice. I stepped out for a moment, and instantly there was a loud crack. Looking up, I saw a bolt of lightning strike the mountainside above us. Almost at once, a rain of snow, ice, and stone came crashing down. I screamed and we all threw ourselves to the mountainside, but not fast enough. Pain shot through me as I was buried in the freezing snow. Within seconds, I could see nothing but whiteness. There wasn't even room to breathe. My outstretched hand was still touching Sam's shoulder, and I gave him a squeeze to let him know I was still alive.

Immediately, I started struggling against the snow. I tried, kicking and squirming with all my might, but to no avail. I kept my heart rate and breathing slow, but still panic overtook me. I had been buried alive. I wasn't going to live.

By some miracle, I suddenly felt the pressure on my head lessen. My eyes widened and I tried to push up. It lessened some more. Finally, I felt a cold hand touch my head. The hands dug faster, and faster still, and within seconds I could see again, and crawled out of the snow, spitting some out o fmy mouth.

I felt strong arms wrap around me. "Are you alright, Íverin?" said Aragorn.

I nodded. "Yes," I said quietly, "yes, I'm okay. Where is Sam?"

As if on cue, a small head of curly hair poked up out of the ground not too far from me. I escaped from my cousin's arms and ran up to him, pulling him out of the ground. "Sam!" I hugged him.

Looking around, I quickly counted heads, making sure everybody was out. "Is everyone alright?" I said. I was answered by a chorus of "Yes!"

I looked up ahead again, and sighed. The drift that had just taken them so long to break through had been recovered and almost doubled in size. I looked over a Gandalf. "Are you sure this is the only way we can go? We have wasted too much time already working to get over this mountain."

"Why must we linger here?" cried Boromir. "We can go back through the Gap of Rohan, and take the West Road to my city!"

"No!" I shouted over the wind. "The Ring will not be safe in Minas Tirith!"

"My father will protect it!"

Anger consumed my heart. "Your father..." I said quietly. "will NEVER. EVER. Be able to use that Ring to protect Gondor! It will only destroy it! Is that so hard for you to understand?"

"Why do you doubt my people?" he growled. "At the very least, we can try. We would have an entire army to defend us!"

"An army that would all too easily fall to the Ring's power! And even so, it makes no sense! We would have to go all the way around the mountains that divide Rohan and Gondor, and that would take too long! We have not the supplies to travel that far."

"Then take the Gap of Rohan! We have more allies in this world that just you elves!"

"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn chimed in.

Now Gimli spoke up. "Why are we trying to go over the mountain? Let us go under it! Let us go to the mines of Moria!"

All eyes turned to Gandalf, who was silent for a moment, as if in a trance. "Let the Ringbearer decide," he said.

I looked at Frodo, praying he would not choose to go to Gondor. Finally, he spoke.

"We will go through the mines!"


	6. Entrance Into Darkness

**A/N: I'm excited to hear your reactions to the next few chapters. I actually spent the majority of my school day writing out different scenes from the next few chapters in my notebooks. Oh jesus frosting, I'm such a nerd. XD **

**Disclaimer:...you know the drill. I own nothing but Íverin, Tolkien's a writing god, yadda yadda yadda. **

There was another long silence as we stood on the snowy mountainside. Finally, Gandalf spoke. "So be it. There is a road not far from here that should lead us safely down to the doors of the mine. Quickly!"

And so, the journey back down began. For a long while the Fellowship picked their way through thick snow and jagged rock, with Legolas and I always itching to simply run ahead. But Gandalf would not allow it, for fear of us getting separated from the rest of the group.

It seemed to take forever, but eventually, we began to make our way down the Moria Road as dusk fell, and the landscape changed. Snow turned to slush, slush turned to stone (much to our pleasure). The chill of Caradhras left my bones, but what now replaced it did not bring me joy.

The new landscape was, truthfully, ominous and depressing. We walked along the gravelly banks of a lake, looking almost black in the darkness of the night. A few trees grew along the mountainside, but other than that, no life was present.

It was here that Gandalf stopped. For awhile he searched the wall, walking back and forth, moving his old, wrinkled hands over the smooth grey stone.

"Dwarf doors are invisible when closed," said Gimli, as he also walked about, searching for the entrance.

"Yes, Gimli," Gandalf nodded, "their own masters cannot find them, if their secrets are forgotten."

"Why does that not suprise me?" Legolas said quietly. I chuckled.

Finally, Gandalf came to a gap in the trees, slightly bigger than the rest. He began to run his fingers here and there over the rock, as if tracing a hidden path. "Now, let's see...Ithildin. It mirrors only starlight and moonlight," he whispered, turning around. The round white moon peeked through the clouds.

All of a sudden, thin threads of white, with a tint of blue, appeared on the doors, growing thicker with every passing second, as if they had been long covered by a layer of dust. They wove a beautiful picture in the stone: Two elven trees wrapped around pillars of stone on either side, with a crown bearing seven stars at the top. A hammer and anvil was underneath it, and below that, in the exact center, was a small four pointed star. Dwarf-runes were arched across the top.

I stood in awe next to Gandalf. "What does it say?" I asked.

"It is a greeting!" he said. "It reads: These are the doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter!"

"What do you suppose that means?" asked Merry.

"Oh, it's quite simple!" Gandalf replied. "If you are a friend, you speak the password, and the doors will open." He raised his staff and touched its tip to the star in the center. Closing his eyes, he muttered something in a foreign toungue and...

...nothing happened.

I frowned. "Why did it not work?"

"Wrong password, I suppose," said Gandalf. He tried again, but got the same response: nothing. The doors did not budge.

For hours, it seemed, we waited. Gandalf tried everything he knew, in Dwarvish, Elvish, and the like, but the doors stayed shut. Feeling restless, I decided to do what I always did when I was bored: climb. I quickly scaled the nearest tree, swinging effortlessly up through the branches until I sat comfortably on the top.

Pippin looked up at me from below. "Aren't you worried you'll fall, Íverin?"

I laughed lightly. "It is the way of my people; how I grew up! These trees are strange, growing here, but still sturdy. I am not afraid."

"And neither am I." I jumped at the sight of Legolas's blonde head popping up through the leaves. He smiled at my reaction. "I thought you might enjoy some company."

I smiled. "I would indeed!" He drew himself up so that he was sitting beside me. Gazing out over the dark water, I asked him, "What do you know of this place?"

"Nothing," said he, "but something does not seem right. A dark presence is in my mind." His eyes also flicked to the lake. "The water...disturbs me."

I nodded. "I feel the exact same way. At first, I was excited to visit the Dwarf mines, but now I am not so sure. There is evil here, of that I am certain."

Suddenly, there was a loud plop. Then another, and another. Merry and Pippin were tossing rocks in the lake and watching the ripples.

Boromir grabbed Merry's arm as he tried to throw another one. "Do not disturb the water," he said in a low voice.

Gandalf cast his staff on the ground, grumbling to himself as he sat on a rock, thinking.

My eyes never left the last spot where a rock had hit the lake. Though the hobbits had stopped throwing things, the ripples were still there. I glanced at the others. They were watching the spot, too.

Frodo stood up and walked over to the door. "It's a riddle."

Now there was more than a ripple, it was a wave. "Something is moving down there," I whispered. My muscles tensed, and I was suddenly reluctant to climb back down onto the stony shore. Legolas put a hand on his bow.

"Speak 'friend' and enter." Frodo looked over at Gandalf. "What's the Elvish word for friend?"

Gandalf looked up. "Mellon."

There was a loud cracking noise, and my attention snapped up from the thing in the water and to the doors. They swung outward, pushed on by some unseen force. Gimli gave a shout of victory. Legolas and I climbed back down, and with one last wary glance at the water behind us, headed inside.

The area was dark, lit only by the moonlight outside. Dark shapes were scattered about the room. Almost immediately I sensed danger.

But Gimli's spirits were still high. "Soon, Master Elf," he said to Legolas, "you will enjoy the fine hospitality of the Dwarves! Roaring, fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone!"

I reached out and touched Aragorn's arm, giving him a worried look. He returned it.

"This is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine," Gimli scoffed. "A mine!"

Suddenly, my foot kicked something. I looked down and clapped my hand over my mouth to suppress a scream.

It was a body.

Boromir saw it, too. "This is no mine. It's a tomb."

My eyes scanned the room, and now I saw what all those shapes were. More bodies. Skeletons.

"No..." Gimli said. He knelt down, and sure enough, there lay a body of a dead dwarf. "NOOOO!"

Legolas ripped an arrow out from one. "Goblins!" Aragorn, Boromir, and I unsheathed our swords.

"We should have made for the Gap of Rohan," Boromir said. "We should never have come here! Now get out of here, get out!"

Suddenly, Frodo screamed. I whipped around to see him being dragged towards the door by...a tentacle? I ran towards him. "Frodo!" I ran outside, hacked at the slimy thing pulling him away, and grabbed him. Not a second after I had done so, the tentacle retreated back into the lake, and at least twenty more shot out in its place. One of them hit my chest, knocking Frodo from my hands and sending me to the ground.

Aragorn, and Boromir came flying out, trying to slice the tentacles coming from the water. Two more grabbed Frodo and held him high over the lake. The hideous thing that controlled these tentacles rose up from the water. It was a disgusting, slime-covered beast with few eyes and a huge, gaping mouth. The beast roared.

I stood up. Legolas shot the thing, and it shrunk back a bit, but then lashed at us again. I jumped out of the way of another tentacle and ran into the water until I was knee-deep. I sheathed my sword and pulled out my own bow and arrow. Archery was not my biggest strength, but I was still good enough to get a couple more shots in.

Finally, Aragorn managed to cut through one of the tentacles holding Frodo up. The monster bellowed in pain and dropped Frodo into Aragorn's arms.

"Into the mines!" cried Gandalf.

Aragorn flew up the steps, with Boromir right behind him. Legolas turned and shot at the thing one more to buy us time. I ducked into the doorway with him.

A moment later, there was another roar, and I watched as the beast grabbed onto the trees beside the doors and dragged itself up onto the shore. I shot at it again, fearing that it would come inside, but instead, there was a deafening rumble, and then a crash as the wall above the doors broke and an avalanche of stone came down, sealing off the door entirely, and covering us in darkness.

For a moment, all was quiet, save for the sound of our panicked breathing. Then Gandalf spoke.

"We now have but one choice." He struck his staff on the ground, and light emitted from the tip of it. "We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world." We fell into a single file line: Gandalf, then Legolas, Gimli, the four hobbits, Boromir, myself, and Aragorn at the rear. "It is a three-day journey to the other side," Gandalf continued. "Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."

So we walked. And walked...and walked...and walked. Moria was not at all what I had expected. It was a dark and dangerous place. Our footsteps echoed eerily in the darkness. Every time I touched one of the cold stone walls, I could almost feel the brokenness and torment radiating from them.

After a day of nothing but walking, we came to a crossroads. There were three passageways, center, left, and right.

Gandalf stopped and looked at them for a long time.

I strode up next to him. "Gandalf?"

He looked over at me, confused. "Íverin...I have no memory of this place."

So we waited. The waiting was almost as bad as the walking.

"Merry? Are we lost?"

"No, Pippin."

"I think we are."

"Shh! Gandalf's thinkin'."

"...Merry?"

"What?"

"I'm hungry."

That was about the most conversation I heard all day long. Too often I found myself staring at the center passageway, nervously fingering my bow, or the spare dagger I kept by my side. I paced a lot, too.

At one time, while I was pacing, Legolas was sitting nearby. He looked up at me and smiled. "You are sure to wear a hole in the ground, at the rate you're going."

I stopped. "I cannot help it. These caves...they worry me. Never in all my years of living have I felt this kind of dark presence." I sighed. "I hate it. I feel like any moment now, some foul creature will spring out of the ground and slay us all. We have waited too long."

Legolas looked at me with concern. "You worry too much, Íverin," he said softly. "Perhaps sleep would be a good thing for you. We have walked a long way with no rest, surely you are tired."

"...all right. I will sleep, if that comforts you."

He smiled again. "It does."

I pulled the three spare blankets I had packed out of my traveling bag and laid them out upon the rock, all three on top of each other to act as a cushion against the hard ground. I laid down and closed my eyes. I was tired, but not enough to fall asleep. I could not rest with the nagging worry that we were in peril gnawing at the back of my brain. After what seemed like an eternity of just laying there, I finally began to drift off into slumber. Just before I fell asleep, I caught a bit of a conversation between Frodo and Gandalf.

The hobbit sounded on the verge of tears. "I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened!"

"So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us," the eldery wizard's kind voice responded. "There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought."


	7. The Fall of Gandalf

**A/N: I really need to stop obsessing over this story so much. O_O Ah, well. Chapter 7! Cheers! *clinks glass***

**Disclaimer: I don't own a thing except for Íverin. She's MINE. My own...my precious...:D**

My eyes popped open, and I felt a small hand shake me by the shoulders. I rolled over and looked up into the eyes of Sam. "Sorry to wake you, Íverin. But Gandalf says we must be goin'."

"He's remembered!" Merry said happily. I rose and folded up my blankets.

"No," said Gandalf, "but the air doesn't smell so foul down here. If in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose."

I finished packing my things, and we headed off down a flight of stairs. Sam walked with me. "Íverin," he asked, "is this place...are we safe here?"

I shook my head. "No, we are not." Sam frowned. "But something tells me that we will make it out of here alive."

Sam sighed. "These caves are beautiful, but...they're just so dark and scary lookin'." Glancing behind him to make sure Gimli wouldn't hear him, he said, "I wouldn't want to spend my days here."

"Sam." I said quietly. He looked up. "Do not despair. You are not alone here, remember that. It is our job to protect each other. And I guarantee you that none of us will give up on that promise easily. You will be safe with us." I smiled at him, and he smiled back.

"Thank you, Íverin. That makes me feel a lot better."

I nodded. "Not a problem."

We continued on for several more hours, trekking through the darkness, until at last we came to a very wide set stairs. Upon reaching the top, Gandalf smiled. "I think I can let off a bit more light here."

I looked up at my surroundings and gasped. My mouth hung open in awe, my eyes taking in every detail.

"Well there's an eye opener, and no mistake," Sam said softly.

The room we were in was...magnificent. And that was a huge understatement. Pillars of stone, hundreds, possibly thousands of feet high, stretched down and out as far as you could see. Delicate patterns were carved into them. The whole thing was a Dwarven masterpiece.

"Behold!" said Gandalf. "The Dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf."

As we walked on, I could not take my eyes off the astounding scenery. I gently nudged Gimli. "This place...did the Dwarves make this?"

He nodded. "Yes! It was the pride and glory of Durin's folk, back in the day. But now it is all but forgotten."

"But still beautiful," I whispered. "I have never seen anything like this." All of the Company was astounded at the wondrous work of the Dwarves. "Never again will I look upon the Dwarves as I once did."

Beside me, Legolas nodded. "It is breathtakingly beautiful."

Suddenly, Gimli gave a shout and took off running.

"Gimli!" Gandalf cried out.

I finally tore my attention from the Dwarrowdelf to see my friend running towards a half-open door not too far to the right. I ran after him, and the rest of the Fellowship followed suit. Gimli knelt by a long, table-like thing, with a look of utter sorrow upon his face. A small window of light shone directly on it."No...no!"

Gandalf walked over to the head of the stone slab and read the runes expertly carved into the top. "Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria." Gimli let out a sob. "He is dead, then. It is as I feared." I bowed by head and mourned for his loss.

After a moment of silence for Balin, I looked up and took in my surroundings. There really wasn't much else in the room, save for dozens of corpses scattered across the floor. A few thick stone pillars were to the right, and a stone well was set near that corner of the room.

Gandalf handed Pippin his hat and staff, and reached down, prying the hands of a dead dwarf away from an old book.

"We must move on," I heard Legolas whisper from behind me. "We cannot linger."

Gandalf opened the book to some of its last pages. Dirt and dust fell out, and a few of the worn pages crumbled. "They have taken the bridge, and the second hall," he read. "We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes...drums, drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow lurks in the dark. We cannot get out...they are coming."

Out of nowhere there came a sharp crash, then a bang, and all eyes looked to Pippin, sitting on the edge of a well, as he knocked the head of a Dwarf skeleton down the well. After that, the entire skeleton fell, and then a long chain, and finally, a bucket, all with a loud clash, clatter, and bang. Pippin cringed.

All was silent for a moment, and I let out a breath I had not realized I had been holding.

Gandalf slammed the book shut. "Fool of a Took!" he said sharply. Yanking back his staff and hat, he said, "Throw yourself in next time, and rid us of your stupidity!" Pippin looked down in shame.

_Boom._

My head snapped up. I prayed I was hearing things, but the look on everyone else's faces told me I was not.

_Boom._

Gandalf's eyes went wide. I looked warily at the book.

_Boom, boom. Doom-doom-doom-doom. _

The drumbeats got faster, and from far off, I heard a blood-curdling screech.

"Frodo..." I looked up to see Frodo's blade growing bright blue.

Suddenly, the jeering and howling of our enemies echoed throughout the caverns. "Orcs!" Legolas said.

Immediately Boromir ran to the doors. Not two second later, there was a pair of sharp thunks, and he jerked back. I heard the deep roar of another beast. He looked at me. "They have a cave troll."

Aragorn and Legolas tossed axes and other things to Boromir, who proceeded to barricade the doorway as best he could. The four hobbits stood together, and I moved back beside Gandalf, drawing my bow. Then the Men stepped back, swords ready.

And not a moment too soon. Orcs began to ram the door, crashing and banging against it. The barricade bought us some time, but the doors were still weak. Legolas stood beside be, ready to shoot.

Gimli growled and stood atop Balin's coffin. "Let them come! There is one Dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!"

An Orc's weapon broke through the wood, and then another. We waited a moment, and then Legolas shot. The screech of the Orc he had hit rung in my ears. A moment later, I fired, and killed another one. Legolas drew back one more arrow...

With a crash, the Orcs finally broke down the door, swarming in. I quickly put my bow away and whipped out my sword, charging into battle without hesitation. The first Orc I saw, I stabbed it right in the stomach. The next one connected blades with me, but I kicked him and cut off his arm. Two more rushed up to me, and I landed a hard punch to one's jaw, then brought my sword down on both of them. A deep groan sounded behind me, and I looked up to see an Orc leading a cave troll into the room. I rushed up to the Orc and cut off his head from behind, then stabbed the troll in the foot. He grunted in pain and grabbed my arm, causing me to drop my sword. I screamed as I was lifted up into the air. Someone shouted my name, but I couldn't tell who.

The troll held me next to his face, and grinned evilly at me. I swung my body at him, swiftly kicking him with both feet in his left eye. He reached up at it in pain, and I took this opportunity to rip the slightly curved dagger from my belt and stabbed him in the face. Ripping my knife out, I smiled as black blood trickled down the side of his face. But my smile disappeared as the troll tightened his grip on my arm. I bit my lip hard, but did not cry out.

Suddenly, there was a shout from below. I looked down to see Aragorn and Sam slashing the troll's feet and legs, trying to bring it down. The troll groaned but did not move. I winced again, and tried to get in another good kick.

Out of nowhere, an arrow suddenly shot out and embedded itself in the side of the troll's head. Then another hit its face, and another. I saw Legolas out of the corner of my eye, standing atop a fallen stone pillar, and shooting.

Looking down at Aragorn and Sam again, I noticed the chain was still dangling from around the troll's neck. An idea came to me. "Aragorn!" I shouted. "Use the chain!" I stabbed the troll again with my knife, this time in the hand. His grip lessened, but he still did not let go.

Upon hearing me, Aragorn nodded and grabbed the chain, giving it a good yank. "Legolas!" Instantly, the Elf came down to help him. I ripped of my dagger and stabbed his hand again, just as they pulled hard on the chain. The troll stumbled, and he dropped me. I landed safely in Legolas's arms.

"Thanks," I said. He merely nodded.

I quickly looked around. The Orc's numbers were decreasing rapidly, but that troll was still causing trouble. It swung its hand at Gimli, knocking him off the coffin and breaking it open. I jumped out of the way and found my sword. Working quickly, I began to kill more Orcs again.

I heard the crack of metal against stone, and glanced over my shoulder to see Legolas standing by the pillars as the troll whipped its chain at him. He ducked once, then twice, and then the third time, got the chain wrapped around the pillar. He swiftly ran up the chain, climbed onto the troll's head, and shot an arrow directly into his head. The troll stumbled around a bit, and Legolas jumped down off his back, landing on his feet next to me.

I cracked a smile. "Impressive," I said, as I stabbed another Orc right in its black, twisted heart.

Legolas smiled back. "Not as impressive as you with the chain." He whipped out his knives and began slashing through the enemies with me.

Aragorn's cry filled the room. "Frodo!" I looked up at him and followed his gaze to the pillars Legolas had just been on. Frodo had been cut off from Merry and Pippin, and was playing hide-and seek with the troll behind a pillar. I sliced another Orc down the back and tried to make my way to him, but the Orcs were swarming around Legolas and I. I punched another Orc directly in the nose, knocking him out, and kicked another.

"Aragorn! Aragorn!" came Frodo's frightened cry. I watched and fought as my cousin charged over to the troll, who had Frodo my the leg. Frodo cut him with his own blade, but Aragorn jumped in with a large spear, and wedged it into the troll's upper left chest. He drove it in harder, and harder.

My view was cut off as another Orc came at me, and I pushed him out of they way, but he wouldn't leave me alone. I heard Aragorn cry out, and a bang, but I couldn't see what had happened. I stabbed the Orc in the shoulder, and then slit his throat with a knife.

When I finally looked back, I gasped. Aragorn lay unconscious on the ground, and the troll had Frodo pinned in a corner. I screamed as the troll pulled back his own spear and drove it right into Frodo's chest. "FRODO!" I shouted. I kicked the nearest Orc out of the way and ran towards the troll, my main focus now on killing him. Merry and Pippin had jumped onto his back, and had gotten a few good stabs in, but the troll picked Merry up and dangled him around in the air before throwing him down. I managed to catch him and set him on his feet, then climbed up the broken rubble around me and jumped on myself. I shot one, two, three arrows into his back, and drove my sword deep into him as well. I pulled my sword back out, but the troll lurched backwards, sending me to the ground. Pippin had managed to stay on somehow. I managed to slit the beast's hand on my way down, landing hard on my back.

The troll looked at my cut on his hand, and threw his head back to roar. At that moment, Legolas shot an arrow deep into his neck. The troll stopped, groaned and stumbled for a long while, and finally died. He fell to the ground with a massive thud, sending Pippin flying. I easily caught him in my arms.

Aragorn had woken up, ran over to Frodo, and the rest of us followed. He lay facedown on the ground, the spear protruding from his chest, unmoving.

"No..." Aragorn said softly. He reached out and pulled him up.

By some miracle, Frodo coughed, and began to breathe heavily. "I'm alright. I'm not hurt!"

My jaw dropped. "But...how?"

"That spear would've skewered a wild boar!" Aragorn exclaimed.

Gandalf raised a bushy eyebrow. "I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eye."

Frodo reached down and opened his shirt, revealing a shining coat of golden chain mail underneath.

"Mithril..."Gimli whispered.

"Never have I thought that a hobbit would bear such a treasure," I smiled.

"You are full of suprises, Master Baggins," Gimli agreed.

Suddenly, I heard another faint Orc-cry. "We must go. More are coming."

Gandalf nodded. "To the Bridge of Khazad-Dûm."

I lifted Frodo to his feet, and took off running after the rest of the Fellowship, falling in line behind Legolas. The howls of more Orcs echoed through the Dwarrowdelf, and Orcs began to crawl out from cracks in the floors, walls, even the ceiling. Thousands of them, scurrying everywhere, swarming down the pillars. I willed myself to run faster, but it was hopeless. Within moments, we were surrounded. Orcs sneered at us from all sides. I drew my sword and scowled back, ready to fight. Legolas gave me a confident smile, and reached for his twin white-handled knives.

And then, from the very bowels of the mines, there came an unearthly growl. The Orcs stopped taunting us and looked towards the end of one of the pillar hallways.

Another growl. Fiery, reddish-orange light steadily grew from the opening at the end. The Orcs screeched in horror and ran away, disappearing back into shadow. Gimli laughed, but my eyes never moved from the orange light. The ground vibrated beneath my feet.

"What is this new devilry?" asked Boromir.

Gandalf closed his eyes. "A Balrog. A demon of the ancient world."

I looked up at Legolas. At the word 'demon,' I saw something I had never seen before: a look of fear on his face. Terror in his bright blue eyes.

My own heartbeat quickened. If Legolas was scared, this was serious. He was never scared.

"This foe is beyond any of you," Gandalf said. "Run!"

I obeyed. We ran down the now clear pathways at full speed, sprinting like mad past the pillars.

Suddenly the ground disappeared. Boromir stumbled and would have fallen, had Legolas not grabbed him. I put a hand on his shoulder as he pulled the Man back up. He still had a look of horror on his face.

"Lead them on, Aragorn!" Gandalf cried. He pointed away to the east. "The bridge is near!"

I looked over. The room we were in was essentially just a series of stone paths, towering over a bottomless pit of shadow. A thin bridge was suspended over a deep gorge.

Looking back, I saw the old wizard push Aragorn to the side as he tried to unsheath his blade. "Do as I say! Swords are no more use here!"

With that in mind, I flew down the stone path, charging down the stairs. All of a sudden, I jerked to a stop. The Company was at a standstill, for there was a gap in the stair way.

Legolas jumped across without hesitation. He motioned for the wizard to come next. "Gandalf!" He jumped over. Aragorn and I tossed over Merry, Pippin, and Sam, but when I reached for Gimli, he held up a hand to stop me.

"Nobody tosses a dwarf!" With a cry of triumph, he leapt across but just barely made it to the edge. As he slipped, Legolas shot a hand out, grabbing his beard. "Not the beard!" Gimli groaned, but was pulled to safety nonetheless. Then Boromir crossed over.

I tensed, ready to jump, but just as I made to go across, the stone beneath my feet cracked and fell away. I jerked back up the stairway and clung to my cousin and Frodo. The gap was now impossibly large. There was no way that even I could make it across. I looked at the rest of the Fellowship, and could tell that they were thinking the same thing.

And then the Balrog growled again, slamming into the ceiling above us. A small hail of rocks and dirt came down on us, and I coughed, trying to clear the air with my gloved hands. The Balrog roared again, and this time, a huge chunk of the ceiling came crashing down behind us, breaking away the section of rock behind us, too. My heart beat pounded in my hears. The stair way began to shift under us, and we wobbled from side to side.

"Lean forward!" Aragorn shouted. I did so.

The pillar of stone shifted again, and began to fall towards the others. Legolas had his arms wide open, ready to catch us. We landed hard against the rest of the stairs with a crash, and the momentum threw me at them Gandalf caught me. "Thank you," I said, and we all started running again. I looked over my shoulder to see the stairway collapse behind me, falling into ruin.

We emerged onto a level submerged in fire. Bright flames licked the walls, and sweat instantly formed on my brow. I kept running, but stopped when I heard the loud roar of a great beast. I turned around.

My eyes widened. What loomed over Gandalf, who still stood amongst the flame, was the most dragon-like, terrifying thing I had ever seen. It looked like it had walked out of the fires of hell itself. It appeared to be at least fifty stories high, and made out of shadow. The Balrog was on fire himself, with two great horns on his head, and a sword of fire in his hand. Piercing white eyes stared down at Gandalf, and it roared ferociously.

"Gandalf!" I screamed. A hand grabbed my shoulder, pulling me away. Aragorn and I ran into the next room and began to cross the bridge.

Just as we made it across with everyone else, I heard another roar. Gandalf was running, too, but the Balrog was right on his tail. To my suprise, he stopped and turned to face the enemy in the center of the bridge. "You cannot pass!"

"Gandalf!" Frodo cried.

The Balrog burst into new flame, and colossal black wings stretched from its back. But Gandalf did not back down. The light of his staff grew, and he drew his sword. "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Arnor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun!"

His opponent brought forth his sword of fire, and slammed it against Gandalf's staff. Aragorn tried to run and help him, but stopped short. We all watched in fear.

The Balrog's sword of flame exploded, and Gandalf swayed a little, but remained in place. His enemy roared in anger.

"Go back to the shadow!" Gandalf said. The Balrog snorted and stomped his great foot down upon the bridge. From the darkness, there was a loud crack and burst of light, and a flaming whip emerged.

"YOU...SHALL NOT...PASS!" Gandalf shouted. With all his strength, he raised his staff, and struck it hard against the stone. Another burst of light and a crack, but when the smoke cleared, it looked like nothing had happened. I stiffened. Was this the end of Gandalf the Grey?

The Balrog leapt forward to attack him, and I screamed. But just as the monster of fire pounced, the Bridge gave out, and everything past Gandalf's feet crumbled into the darkness below. The Balrog gave a deafening roar as he fell, and I covered my ears and looked away.

Suddenly, I heard one last crack of his whip, and Frodo's screams. I looked back up to see Gandalf just barely hanging onto the edge of the broken bridge. He tried to pull himself up, but could not. My heart caught in my throat. "G-Gandalf?"

He groaned, and with his body dangling over the edge, arms shaking, he cast one last look at us, catching my eye. "Fly, you fools!" he said.

And then he was gone.

Time seemed to stand still, broken only by Frodo's screams. "NOOOO!"  
>I felt like I couldn't breathe. "No...no! Gandalf!" By some miracle, my feet found the will to run, and I tore my eyes away from the scene. I charged up the steps, his fall replaying over and over in my mind. Tears already blurred my vison as I stumbled, second to last in line, with Aragorn right behind me.<p>

Finally, we emerged from the mines, and I felt Aragorn brush past me, running ahead. Tears flowed freely down my face now, and I blindly ran after my cousin, no more than a dark blur in the distance, seeking his comfort.

I tripped once, then twice, and suddenly a green mass stepped in front of me. I crashed into it, and a pair of strong arms wrapped around me, holding me close. I buried my face in his shoulder, soaking the soft fabric with tears, but I didn't care. Gandalf was gone. The grandfatherly figure that had advised and supported me all my life was gone. Dead.

It wasn't until then that the person holding me spoke. "Shhh..." he said softly, "You will be alright. You will be alright."

I recognized the voice instantly. "L...Legolas..." I said. My entire body shook with sobs, and I was amazed that he wasn't breaking down as well. That was what I needed. Reassurance. A solid rock to stand on in my moment of weakness. "He...he is gone!" I cried.

"Shhh..." he said again. "Breathe."

I exhaled, wrapping my arms around him. "I...I..." I broke down into sobs again. "Legolas..."

Suddenly, I heard Aragorn's voice. "Get them up. We must go."

"Give them a moment, for pity's sake!" came Boromir's rebuttal.

"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with Orcs," Aragorn replied. "We must reach the woods of Lothlórien. Come Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, get them up!"

Legolas sighed and let go of me. He looked at me with a saddened expression for a moment, and gave my shoulder one last squeeze. "I am sorry," he said, and walked away.


	8. The Golden Wood

**A/N: Hope the last chapter was interesting enough for ya. It was certainly fun to write! And sorry about the small gap between uploads. I got stuck at the beginning, but I figured it out now. ^^ And another thing, I'm so sorry about the scene transitions! I had little lines of stars in the documents whever there's a scene change, but for some reason they don't show up on FanFiction. O_o I'll try and fix that. Enjoy this next chapter! **

**Disclaimer: Íverin is mine, but nothing else is! Don't sue me! ;)**

As soon as we crossed into Lothlórien, I felt relieved. Tall, strong trees shot up out of the ground around me, with sunlight filtering down between the now bare branches. Just simply being in the woods again lifted my spirit. I could feel the happiness of the trees floating in the air, renewing my soul. I took a deep breath, relishing the scent of the forest air.

As we walked through the trees, Legolas looked at me. "Are you originally from Rivendell?" he asked.

I was caught off guard by the question, but showed no signs of it. "Yes," I replied. I hated lying to him, but I had to. I couldn't risk anyone else overhearing about my past. Not now, anyway. "Why do you ask?"

"You just seem...different," he said. "Something about you...it reminds me of the elves in my home. Do you have ancestors from other lands, perhaps?"

Oh, did I ever. "To be truthful, I am not sure. I am only Elrond's niece by adoption, but I think my mother's family lived in Rivendell at some point."

"Have you ever been to Lothlórien?"

"No. Have you?"

He nodded. "I came here quite often as a child. Sometimes as a messenger from my father, sometimes simply for fun. This place is very special to me."  
>"It is beautiful," I said.<p>

"Just wait until you see the main city and Lady Galadriel." I smiled and turned my attention back to the trees.

Gimli was whispering to the four hobbits behind us. "Be careful, hobbits! They say a great sorceress lives in these woods. An Elf witch of terrible power. All who look upon her, fall under her spell...and are never seen again." His eyes nervously jumped from tree to tree, and his hand was on his axe. "Well, here's one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily! I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox!"

As if on cue, an arrow suddenly appeared inches from his large nose. I looked around and froze, putting my hands up. Elves popped out from behind the trees, wielding bows and arrows, surrounding us instantly. We had been caught.

A tall blonde elf stepped forward, obviously being the leader. "The dwarf breathes so loud, we could have shot him in the dark." Gimli glared at him.

Apparently, Aragorn recognized him, for he smiled upon seeing the elf. I did too. He was Haldir, captain of Lothlórien. My cousin said something quietly, but I was not paying attention. I was in fear that we would be shot down at any moment. But...they would not shoot down some of their own kin, would they? Maybe they did not recognize me, but if Legolas had been here before, they must have known who he was.

Whatever Aragorn said, Gimli heard it. "Aragorn! These woods are perilous! We should go back!"

Haldir turned his gaze upon the dwarf. "You have entered the realm of the Lady of the Wood. You cannot go back."

He commanded the elves to lead us to the city of the Galadhrim, and it was quite a sight, just as Legolas had said. The trees grew tall and proud; their mighty trunks glimmering like silver, and their branches endlessly twisting up into the clouds. The last of the golden leaves lay on the soft green grass, and there was a sense of magic in the air. Intricately carved wooden staircases spiraled up the trees, coiling around them like great snakes. Lights flickered from between the branches, and quiet singing could be heard from everywhere and nowhere all at once. It was very quiet and peaceful as we walked. Everyone was taking in the beauty and scenery of Lothlórien.

After a bit more walking through the wondrous elven city, we finally came to a large building, with great stone stairs and a massive set of doors at the top. The Company stood side by side at the bottom of the stairs, waiting.

And then the doors burst open, and a bright light shone from inside, momentarily blinding us. I shaded my eyes for a moment until the light dimmed, and only then did I see them coming down the stairs.

There were two elves; a lady and a man. The man was tall, and had long, pale, straight hair, an old but wise face, and dark eyes. He was clothed in robes of shining silver and a woven necklace of the precious metal as well. The lady was also very tall, and her hair fell in long, golden waves down to her hips. Her eyes were a bright, hypnotizing blue, and she wore a circlet of silver on her head. She was wearing robes of shimmering pearl-white.

"Who are they?" I whispered to Aragorn, who stood to my left.

"They are the rulers of this land, Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel, who possess one of the three Rings of Power. It would do you well to respect them greatly."

The couple descended the steps and stood in front of us, and Lord Celeborn spoke. "Here there are eight. Nine were sent out, so said the messages. Tell me, where is Gandalf? For I much desired to speak with him."

Grief settled on my heart, and a sob rose in my throat at the memory of the old wizard, but I was silent. The rest of the Fellowship looked just as upset, for none wanted to answer the horrible question.

Then Lady Galadriel said, "He has fallen into shadow..." and I blinked to keep a tear from falling. "The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail...to the ruin of all." She looked at each one of us as she spoke, and when her eyes met mine, I heard her voice in my head.

_" Íverin...daughter of both Elf and Man...why are you troubled? You know not what lies in wait for you in the White City."_

_ "Forgive me, Lady," I said, "but I know very well that there is nothing for me in the kingdom of Men anymore, save for pain and death."_

_ "Your eyes have been blinded by shadow, if that is truly how you feel. But I say to you this! Do not be quick to judge and doubt, o fair elf-maiden! And do not despair, for you have others to comfort you. They will need you to be the light in their hour of darkness before the end."_

Galadriel's voice left my mind, and she spoke openly again. "Do not let your hearts be troubled! For tonight you shall sleep in peace. Go now! You are worn with sorrow and much toil."

We obeyed the Lady, and left after giving them our thanks. Servants showed us to a private clearing, where a small tent and soft beds had been prepared for us on the ground. We each took turns visiting the hot springs to clean ourselves up, and when the last of us had returned, the elves brought us a great feast of many drinks and food. Needless to say, we all ate our fill and were able to sleep comfortably that night.

Much later on that night, the four hobbits were fast asleep, along with Aragorn and Boromir. Only Gimli, Legolas, and I were still awake. We talked for awhile, with Legolas telling us many stories of adventures he'd had in the enchanted forest in the past. He seemed very happy to be here, and I was as well. I had never seen such a land before, and now knew why other races seemed to think that we elves were otherworldly and magical.

Finally, Legolas rose from his spot where he sat cross legged on the ground and sighed. "If you will excuse me, I would like to go for a walk. There are a few places I would like to revisit before we go, and I certainly am not tired just yet." He walked off into the trees.

After Legolas had disappeared from sight, Gimli smiled. "Well, lass? Got any new for me?"

I looked at him quizically. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Ah, don't tell me ya don't know!" he said. After I gave no response, he asked, "Ya can't see it? The lad's taken a fancy to ya!" He jerked his head in the direction Legolas had gone in.

My eyes widened in shock. "What? Oh Gimli, you must be mistaken. Legolas and I are just friends, and nothing more."

But Gimli shook his head. "Ya can't possibly think that! Haven't ya seen him lately? The way he held ya once we got out of Moria?"

"But...that was just an act of kindness. I was upset, so he comforted me. That's all."

"Maybe that's how it appears to you, lass, but I know him well. I've seen the way he looks at ya. The way he smiles when you laugh. If you're in danger, how he protects ya." I still looked doubtful. "Just keep yer eye on him, Íverin. You'll see."

After a long moment of silence, I sighed. "Well Gimli, I'm quite tired. I shall see you in the morning."

"G'night, lass."

I laid down on small bed of warm blankets, and within moments I heard the drone of Gimli's snoring. My eyes tracked the patterns of the twisting branches above me, and I became lost in thought. There was no way that Legolas actually felt that way about me...was there? Granted, he did talk to me often, and always seemed to be near my side, but so was the rest of the Fellowship. It's our job to protect and comfort each other, so why would something as simple as a hug make Gimli think that? Surely I wasn't the only one he was this close with! And even if he did feel that way about me, we could never be together. A half-blood, and a royal? No, that would be too risky for him. His family would never allow it. He probably already has someone back home to look forward to, anyway. He doesn't need me.

Suddenly, I heard a soft voice singing, and I closed my eyes and relaxed, pretending to be asleep. Just as my vision went black, I caught a glimpse of Legolas walking back over to the clearing. It must have been him. I waited until he stopped singing and the rustle of him moving underneath the blankets died down, and only then did I open my eyes to look at him. He laid on his back between Aragorn and Gimli, eyes closed, blissfully asleep.

Gimli's words echoed in the back of my mind as I, too, drifted off into slumber. _"Just keep yer eye on him, Íverin. You'll see."_

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The next morning, we quickly began packing our things to leave. Aragorn had apparently come up with a new route to travel on, and wanted to leave as soon as possible, though the rest of us wished to stay in Lothlórien. Before we parted in three elven boats that the Lord and Lady had given us, Galadriel gave each of us a special gift. When at last I approached her for my own gift, she smiled at me.

"You, Íverin, shall receive the Sarn en Estel; the Stone of Hope." Into my hands she placed a smooth, black stone that sparkled in the sunlight, seeming to hold the stars of the night sky inside. The stone was about the size of my palm. "The Stone of Hope will aid you in moments of despair. Look to it when you feel alone, and it will bring to light an image of happiness and joy to lift the darkness from your heart."

I tucked the precious jewel away in my pack and bowed low. "Many thanks to you, my Lady. I could not ever repay you for all you have done for me. For us."

A kind light was in her eyes. "You are very gracious, Íverin, and brave. But do not ever let your heart be weighed heavy by the burdens of the Enemy. You must not give in to the despair that Sauron will lay upon you."

I nodded. "I know. Sauron will not ever so much as lay a finger on our free realms, as long as I have something to do with it."

Galadriel smiled again. She bent down and put a hand on my shoulder. "Remember us, daughter of Men and Elves. Good luck on your quest." She removed her hand, and I turned and went down to the boats that were pulled up on the banks of the Great River, Anduin. After the last person, Frodo, had gone up and received his gift, we climbed into the boats and set off. Aragorn, Frodo, and I were in the first boat, Legolas, Gimli, and Sam in the second, and Boromir, Merry, and Pippin at the rear. We spread all the gear out equally amongst ourselves.

As Aragorn began to row down the Anduin, I looked back at the shores of Lothlórien one last time. Galadriel waved to us as we left, and I watched her until the three boats came around a bend, and we could see them no more. I subtly slipped my hand inside my pack and curled my fingers around the Stone of Hope. _By the grace of the Valar, give me strength, _I said in my mind as we set off on a new part of our journey.


	9. A New Adventure

**A/N: One-third of the way done, guys! :DDDD And man, am I proud. I've gotten so many faves! ^w^ Thank you all so much for the reviews and support you've given me this far, and I hope I can make this story better for you. With that said, enjoy the final chapter taking place in FotR!**

**Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING! GGGAAAWWWDDDD. (except Íverin, of course. :3)**

We had been paddling down the Great River for two days. Aragorn was paddling, and I sat behind him, basking in the sunlight, absentmindedly twirling my elven cloak from Lórien, thw warmth of the afternoon sun beckoning me to sleep. I'd had much time for thinking, and many times my mind had strayed to the words of Galadriel. Did she really think that there was hope left for me in Gondor? What in the name of the Valar caused her to think that? I knew that she was telepathic, but I did not think that she was ever concerned in the affairs of Men.

Suddenly, Aragorn touched my arm, and Frodo's as well. "Íverin, Frodo." I looked up, and my jaw dropped slightly at what I saw. I seemed to do that often these days. "...the Argornath," Aragorn said quietly.

In front of us, there were two massive statues, carved out of rock. They were two tall men, standing proudly in the sunlight, each of them extending a palm outward, as if to prohibit others from passing through. They had been chipped and cracked in places by the weathering of thousands of years, but still they loomed over us as towering giants of stone.

"Who are they?" I asked.

"They were two of the old kings of Gondor," Aragorn said, "a long time ago."

Despite my cruel feelings towards Gondor, even I had to admit that the statues were very impressive. As we rowed past them, I thought of my father. I wonder if he had ever seen these before.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Eventually, we pulled the boats up alongside the western shore near a great waterfall, and set up a camp for the afternoon. Gimli was able to get a fire going, and before long, Sam had warmed up some meat and lembas bread for lunch.

I sat in the shade of a tree, alongside Sam and Legolas. I watched the sparkling river as we ate. "I wish I had time to go for a swim. The water looks beautiful."

"Maybe," Legolas replied, "but the current is cold and swift. It would be dangerous, especially with the Falls of Rauros so close."

Sam sighed. "Just the sound of it makes me think of the old mill back in Hobbition."

I looked at him sadly. "Are you homesick, Sam?"

He nodded. "How couldn't I be? Don't get me wrong, all these lands have been beautiful, but I've not seen the lush, green grass of the Shire in too long."

"Would you leave, if you could?"

Sam shook his curly head. "Of course not! I wouldn't leave Mr. Frodo for anything."

"You are very loyal, Sam," I smiled. "Frodo is lucky to have a friend like you."

He smiled back. "Thank you, Íverin. That means a lot." He finished the last of his lembas and walked away. That left Legolas and I to ourselves.

As we finished our lunches, I looked over at him. "Legolas, may I ask you something?"

He nodded. "Go ahead."

I hesitated for a moment. "...What is your life like back home in Mirkwood?"

"It is...nothing special, really. Well, I guess it might seem special to those that are not of the royal line, but truthfully, much of my time is spent by my father training me to become a good future king."

"Do you have any siblings?"

"No," he said quickly. "I do not."

I cast him a suspicious look, but he said nothing more, so I asked something else. "Have yo always been a warrior?"

"Not always. I could not fire an arrow when I was only a year old," he said with a smile.

I laughed and playfully punched him in the arm. "Oh, you know what I meant!"

Legolas laughed along with me. "In all honesty, yes, I guess I have been a warrior most of my life. I have been captain of the archery division of the army for a long time now."

"And they allowed you to go on this quest? Wouldn't they need you?"

"They have others. My father thought that I would only be attending the Council, but he was alright with letting me go for this. He knows it is important."

"What about your mother? Did she feel the same way?"

Legolas was silent for a long while. For a moment, I thought he had not heard me. And then, very quietly, he spoke. "My mother...died...when I was just a boy."

I gasped and pulled him into a hug. "I'm so sorry...I did not mean to-"

"It is fine," he whispered.

After a bit longer, I let him go. "Are you sure that you're okay?"

He looked up at me and smiled. "Yes. Do not worry about me, I will be all right." He stood up and walked over to Aragorn.

I watched him for a moment longer. How much did I really know about my companion? What else was Legolas hiding?

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The next day, there was an odd feeling in the air. Legolas seemed uneasy. I was standing at the water's edge with Aragorn when he walked up to us.

"We should leave now."

"No. Orcs patrol the eastern shore," my cousin disagreed. "We must wait for cover of darkness."

"It is not the eastern shore that worries me. A shadow and a threat have been growing in my mind. Something draws near, I can feel it."

I nodded. "I feel it, too. It feels dangerous, lingering here. We should not delay any longer."

"...All right," Aragorn finally said. Turning to the rest of the Company, he said, "Pack up your things. We leave within the hour."

I went to roll up the blankets that had served as my bed last night. As I shoved the last of my belongings into my leather bag, my eyes wandered around the campsite, and my heart froze when I realized that two people were missing. I snapped my head up. "Where are Boromir and Frodo?"

Aragorn looked nervous. "I do not know. I will search for them." He ran off into the woods, searching for a trail, but not before grabbing his sword.

The rest of us were silent for a moment, and then went back to cleaning up, but now the sense of nearby danger clouded my mind. I could not shake the feeling that something was wrong. Very, very wrong. I stopped what I was doing and looked at my companions for a moment, then back in the direction that Aragorn had gone. I also grabbed my weapons, making sure my knife was secure in my belt. "I'm going with him," I announced, and took off before anyone could stop me. I could've sworn I heard the growl of an enemy not too far away, and I hoped I was not already too late. But as I darted through the unfamiliar territory, the growls and roars grew louder, and the ringing of metal against metal could faintly be heard. I veered left, and ducked behind a large tree trunk. Catching my breath, I peered around the rough bark to see what was going on.

I had come up to a clearing in the trees, with a large stone fort-like thing in the center. Dozens of black things that looked like much stronger, tougher Orcs crawled all over it, and Aragorn was at the top, trying to fight them off. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a glimpse of an elven cloak disappear amongst the trees.

Gripping my sword tightly, I burst into the small clearing and started cutting through the creatures that had bombarded my cousin. I raced up the stone steps, punching, slicing, and kicking as I went. When I finally reached the top, a monster threatened to chop my head off. I answered his growl with a stab to the stomach and pushed him off the edge. Another one swung his blade at my arm, but my own sword clashed with his, and I kicked him off the stone building.

Yet another beast was running towards me with his sword held high, but before I could make a move to kill him, and arrow pierced the side of his head, and he fell. I looked up while I grabbed the head of another to see Legolas looking back, smirking. "8," he said proudly.

I grinned back as I snapped my opponent's neck. "9!" Pulling my knife from my belt, I stabbed the next one in the arm, brought my knee up, and once he was down, finished him with a stab to the chest.

I heard Gimli's roar as he swung his axe across one's back, laughing. "That's 5, elf! What about you?"

Legolas grunted and shot another one. "13!"

"And I'm working on 14!" I chimed in. Aragorn beheaded one close by.

Suddenly, the sound of a blaring horn rung through the woods. Our heads snapped to attention, even those of our enemies.

"The Horn of Gondor," said Legolas.

"Boromir!" Aragorn cried, running off towards the sound.

Legolas shot yet another in the head. He then looked over at me. "What are you waiting for? Go! I will take care of the ones behind you!" Whipping out his knives, he slashed another across the face.

I nodded and ran another beast through, then jumped off the stone fort, landing lightly on my feet. I chased after Aragorn, my heart pounding in my ears, hoping again that we were not too late.

I crashed through the trees, not caring about being stealthy anymore. The Horn of Gondor sounded again. "Oh Valar, please let them be all right," I panted. I could faintly hear the sounds of the creatures growling as they followed me, but heard Legolas and Gimli's shouts also, as they finished the battle behind. From ahead, I heard a cry, and then the ringing of swords, and even more screams. But they did not sound like the screams of a man. They sounded like...hobbits. I ran faster, towards the battle. If Frodo was dead...no, he could not be dead. He must not be. We cannot fail, not now! Fear overtook me, and I willed myself to run faster.

When I finally arrived at the scene in the woods, all was quiet. Bodies of the monsters that attacked us lay everywhere. There were no traces of a hobbit to be seen. I saw Aragorn kneeling on the ground and ran toward him, but my steps faltered when I saw who he was kneeling over. Boromir. He had three black arrows protruding from his chest, and was deathly pale. A bit a blood trickled down his chin. I stood behind Aragorn.

"Frodo. Where is Frodo!" Boromir panicked.

"I let Frodo go," Aragorn replied. I looked at him in confusion, but he did not see me.

"Then you did what I could not," the soldier of Gondor said. Now it was him I stared at. What had I missed?  
>Aragorn reached to pull out the arrows, but Boromir stopped him. "Leave it!" he cried. "It is over. The world of men will fall, and all will come to darkness, my city to ruin."<p>

"I do not know what strength is in my blood," Aragorn said quietly, "but I swear to you I will not let the White City fall, nor our people fail."

"Our people..." Boromir whispered. "Our people...I would have followed you, my brother...my captain...my king..." And with those final words came the passing of Boromir, son of Denethor.

"Be at peace, son of Gondor," Aragorn whispered. He bent forward and kissed Boromir's forehead. Again I found myself greiving, though I did not know why. Boromir and I had always hated each other, but still my heart was heavy over his death. After a moment of silence for the young man, I turned to Aragorn. "I do not understand. What happened here?"

He stood and wiped his eyes. "Uruk-Hai. Created and bred by Saruman, the White Wizard. They did not harm Frodo or Sam, but managed to kill Boromir and capture Merry and Pippin alive."

My heart cried out in sorrow for the little Shirefolk. They did not deserve a fate so cruel.

Legolas and Gimli arrived, and stood behind me. "Well," said the dwarf, "we best be starting the lad's burial. He doesn't need to lie here amongst creatures so foul." He spat on the nearest fallen beast.

Aragorn nodded, and with some effort, the four of us managed to get the body of Boromir back to the campsite and into a boat. We placed his shield under his head, and the Horn of Gondor, now cloven in two, at his feet. Then we cast the boat off, and before long, the current carried it down the Anduin, and over the Falls of Rauros.

Legolas grabbed the final boat, for the remaining hobbits had taken the other. "Hurry! Frodo and Sam have reached the Eastern shore!"

But Aragorn did not move a muscle.

Legolas looked back at his friend. "...you mean not to follow them."

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands," he said, but was looking wistfully at the other side of the river.

"Then it has all been in vain," Gimli said sadly. "The Fellowship has failed."

"No," I replied. "We were separated, yes, but we have not failed until Sauron wins."

"Íverin is right," Aragorn nodded. "We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not while we have strength left." He walked back to the campsite and grabbed a spare knife, strapping it to his belt. "Leave all that can be spared. We travel light." He looked back at us with a smile. "Let's hunt some Orc."

Gimli returned the mischievous grin. "Yes!" He took off after Aragorn.

I looked at Legolas, and he at me. "Well?" he asked. "Are you coming or not?"

I smiled, and ran into the woods with him, grabbing my pack along the way. "Oh, please. Do you know me at all?"


	10. Rohan

**A/N: Woohoo! Time to begin "The Two Towers!" :D In this section of the story, expect to see more angst than normal. Íverin goes through a lot in the second movie. A LOT. And one other thing: for those of you who are reading faithfully, please leave a review on this chapter telling me what you think is going to happen! I'm curious to know what you guys think! (To make this first scene even more epic, search "The Two Towers Soundtrack 01 Foundations of Stone" on Youtube, and play the first video as you read. It fits the first scene perfectly!)**

**Disclaimer: Strawberries are red, Frodo's eyes are blue. I own nothing but Íverin...and I'm a horrible rhymer.**

Darkness. That is how it began.

I was walking on...nothing, at first. Just blackness. And then, from seemingly nowhere, an old, worn dirt road, straight as an arrow, formed beneath my feet. It was not one that was familiar to me, but somehow my feet felt comfortable walking on it. I knew not where I was walking, or when I would stop. All I knew was to place one foot in front of the other, and keep going.

Suddenly, the path split. One road led off to my right, and the other to my left. On my right, a great forest emerged out of the shadow, the trees standing proud and tall. But I did not feel warmth and happiness radiating from these trees as I normally would have. Instead, I felt...danger. Like there was some kind of evil blanket covering the forest, blocking out the warm sunlight.

On my left, a great grassy plain appeared, with large mountains in the distance. As I looked at the plains longer, I saw that in the mountains, there was a large city, made completely of marble, with seven massive tiers. I felt like I knew that place from somewhere, but I did not know where. The forest I did not recognize at all.

I stopped walking and looked back at the trees, and screamed. They were burning. Out of nowhere, a great fire had descended onto the woods, and the trees burst into flame, the heat spreading fast. I wanted to run into them and help, but then I looked back at the city in the mountains, and screamed again. Black things swarmed the city, and fire also had appeared in certain areas of the city. Tall towers rolled on wheels toward it, pushed by giant trolls. I heard the bloodcurdling screams of women and children-_children-_as they were slain. My heart cried out, and an insane will to fight these monsters overcame me. Suddenly, I heard screams from the woods as well, and when I turned back, my heart stopped.

What I saw was absolutely horrifying. Elves were running through the trees, also being attacked by the black monsters. But it was not that that scared me. What scared me was that Legolas was in the middle of it all, by himself, trying desperately to fight off a great winged beast, with one of Sauron's Ringwraiths on top. He was badly cut and bruised, and did not look like he could hold out much longer.

But the people in the city were also dying, and thought I did not know them, I still felt the same agonizing will to help them as I did for Legolas.

I screamed again, now crying. My heart was torn in two. I knew I only had enough time to save one. Sinking to my knees, I shouted, "Why must I choose? Why do you make me choose?"

And then, everything disappeared in a puff of smoke, as if blown away by some unseen wind. I cried anyway. I heard a menacing, evil voice echoing in my head. _"You cannot save them, __Í__verin. You know that. They will both die. All that you love will perish. Face the truth."_ The voice cackled, and then faded from my mind. I was left to sit on nothing, the utter blackness consuming me. "STOP!" I screamed. "STOP IT! LET ME SAVE THEM! SAVE THEM BOTH!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Íverin!"

I shot up from my blankets, which did little to comfort me against the cold air and hard rock beneath me. It had all been a dream, but...it had felt so real. I looked up to see Aragorn standing over me. "We must go. It is already dawn, and the Uruk-Hai got a head start." He walked away.

I sighed and rose from my spot on the ground where I had slept that night. The sun was peeking over the grassy horizon, littered with rocks. As I rolled my blankets up and put them away, I dropped my pack, sending a few of my things spilling out onto the ground. I reached for them, but not before another slender hand reached out to help me. Looking up, I saw Legolas grab some of the lembas that had come out and place it back in my bag after setting it upright.

"Thank you," I said.

"Not a problem." After we finished picking up, he asked me, "Did you sleep well?"

I shook my head. "I do not think that is possible now. I'm so worried about Merry and Pippin."

He smiled a reassuring smile. "So am I. But the Uruk-Hai have not even come close to reaching their destination, I think. So for now, at least, they should be safe to some degree."

I was about to say something back, when Aragorn called us from up ahead. "Their pace has quickened! They must have caught our scent. Hurry!" Legolas and I took off running after the Ranger.

"Come, Gimli!" Legolas called over his shoulder. "We are gaining on them!"

I glanced behind us to see Gimli, panting, come plodding up the hill we had just left. I chuckled, feeling sorry for him, but I was almost in the same condition. We had been running for three days without much rest. My legs and feet ached from all the traveling, and my boots were wearing thin. I hoped that we would find the poor hobbits soon.

As we ran, I gazed at Legolas, seeing him beaten as he had been in my nightmare. Why had he been there? Was he representing the Elves as a race?

A while later, I almost crashed into Aragorn, who had stopped. He bent over and pulled up something from the earth. I peered over his shoulder to see an elven brooch from their cloaks in his hand.

"Not idly do the leaves of Lórien fall," he said.

Legolas also stopped. "They may yet be alive!"

"They're less than a day ahead of us." With that, he took off again.

For half a day we ran, only pausing when we needed to. The entire time, I was silent, lost in thought, as I often was of late. Gimli's words about Legolas constantly rang in my ears, as if he had just spoken them. Many times I found myself glancing over at him, and a few times I could've sworn I caught him looking my way as well.

Later in the afternoon, we came to the peak of a large hill with some boulders nearby. Aragorn suddenly stopped, and the rest of us stopped with him. The landscape did not seem much different than before to me, but Aragorn seemed pleased about something. "Where are we?" I asked.

"Rohan," he replied, "the land of the horse-lords." He then frowned. "Evil has come to these lands. They are in the midst of a dark era."

Legolas jumped up on top of a rock, and I stepped up beside him.

"Íverin! Legolas! What do your elf-eyes see?" I watched as a black blur moved steadily across the land.

"The Uruk-Hai have turned northeast!" I shouted.

Legolas looked at me with worry, then said to Aragorn, "They are taking the hobbits to Isengard!"

My face fell. "Saruman," I breathed. Jumping down from the rock, I started running again. "Come on! We cannot let them reach Orthanc!" The others followed me, and soon Aragorn was back in front, leading us across the plains.

Onward we pressed, traveling through Rohan with great speed, my eyes ever tracking the black blur of the Uruk-Hai. At last we stopped, staying in a makeshift cave made by three small boulders for the night.

As I laid my blankets down, Legolas came up beside me and made his bed as well. My stomach growled loudly, and he looked up at me, stifling a laugh. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes," I admitted sheepishly, "very." I dug through my pack, hoping to find a strip of meat, but saw nothing save for lembas bread and a handful of dried berries. I frowned.

"Something wrong?" Legolas asked.

I looked up. "Oh, I've just run out of meat, is all."

He quickly reached for his own supplies and handed me a chunk of beef. "Here. You may have the rest of mine."

"Oh Legolas, no! If this is all you have left-"

"Please, I insist." He looked me right in the eyes. "I do not want you to starve."

I stared back at him for a moment before finally giving in. "All right." I quietly chewed my supper, finished it off with a drink of water from my flask, and laid down to sleep. I looked over at Legolas one last time before I dozed off. Was that a sign? 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The next morning, I awoke to Legolas gently shaking my shoulder. He smiled. "Good morning, Íverin."

I yawned. "Hello, Legolas." Rising, I grabbed my flask and took a drink. "Are we to leave yet?"

"Not right now," he said, "but I wanted you to see this." He grabbed my hand and pulled me out from our small shelter. As soon as I stepped out, I stopped and stared at the beautiful blood-red sunrise before me.

"Wow...that is quite a sight." I smiled.

He smiled back. "I thought you would like it. It is too bad that it is a sign of war."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, in my country, when a red sun rises, it is a sign that blood has been spilt the past night."

I tensed. "Merry and Pippin...do you think?..."

"I do not know," he said. "It is likely that this is because of others not a part of our quest. But the sunrise is beautiful either way."

"That is true indeed." I turned my head to see Aragorn standing in the cave's entryway. It was not until then that I realized we were still holding hands. I pulled away and stepped towards my cousin. "I am sorry, Aragorn. Did we wake you?"

He nodded. "But do not worry. It is a good thing that you did, for we must move on again. We are close to the Uruks now; we must not let them escape."

I smiled and slipped back inside the cave, gathering up my things and praying that I had not been blushing when Aragorn caught us outside.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

For the whole morning we ran, traveling far and wide across the plains. Suddenly, at the peak of a hill, I stopped and grabbed Aragorn's arm. "Do you hear that?"

He nodded and motioned for the four of us to hide amongst a mass of rocks. A great rumbling could be heard, like a large company moving across the land. As we waited, a mass of horsemen stormed past us, all of the men wielding spears. Great metal armor they wore, complete with helmets bearing long strands of pale hair flowing freely in the breeze. A few carried shields, and all of them had bows and full quivers. Eventually they passed out hiding spot.

Only then did Aragorn run out, and the rest of us followed. "Riders of Rohan!" he cried, "What news from the north?"

The head of the riders jerked his spear to the left, and they circled around, coming towards us at full speed. My hand instinctively went to my bow, but Aragorn stopped me. "Wait!" he hissed. "They are friends."

But they did not appear it. Within moments they had us surrounded, and pointed their spears at us threateningly. Aragorn put up his hands as a sign of peace, but I stood firm between him and Legolas. I would not trust them until I had solid proof that they were on our side.

One of them, who I presumed to be the leader, rode forward to us. His eyes were cold and unforgiving. "What business does two Elves, a Man, and a Dwarf have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!"

"Why must you know?" I replied just as harshly. I would not respect him unless he respected me. "Our business is our own."

He glared at me. "Is it so wrong to be cautious of strangers?"

"No," I said, "but it would be an easier task if you changed the tone of your voice."

The man's dark eyes burned into me, but I did not flinch. "Pray tell, what are your names?"

Now Gimli stepped in. "Give me your name, horse master, and I shall give ya mine."

The leader had had enough. He dismounted his horse and walked up to Gimli, seething. "I would cut off your head, _dwarf_," he sneered, "if it stood but a little higher from the ground."

Before I could blink, Legolas whipped out his bow and aimed an arrow at the man's throat. "You would die before your stroke fell!" The rest of the riders tensed, pushing their spears in more.

Aragorn reached out and pushed the elf's arm down. "Forgive my companions, Éomer son of Éomund. I am Aragorn son of Arathorn, this is Gimli son of Glóin, Legolas of the Woodland Realm, and Íverin of Rivendell." He gestured to each of us in turn, and I met Éomer's irritated gaze with a glare of my own. "We are friends of Rohan, and of Théoden, your king."

Éomer sighed. "Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe. Not even his own kin," he said, removing his helmet. At last I was able to see his face clearly. He had wavy, dirty blonde hair that fell to his shoulders, dark brown eyes, and he was also tall, as tall as Aragorn.

I frowned. "I have heard many a good thing about your king. What has overcome him?"

"It is all because of Saruman," Éomer said. "He has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands. My company and I are those loyal to Rohan, and for that, we are banished."

"Have you not tried to defeat Saruman, then? Save your country?"

Éomer laughed bitterly. "That is easier said than done, Íverin. Especially with less than three hundred men on your side." He looked at all of us. "The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there, they say, as an old man hooded and cloaked." His gaze lingered on Aragorn the longest. "And everywhere his spies slip past our nets."

"We are no spies," Aragorn said. "We track a party of Uruk-Hai, westward across the plain. They have taken two of our friends captive."

"The Uruks are destroyed; we slaughtered them during the night."

"B-but there were two hobbits!" Gimli stuttered. "Did ya see two hobbits with 'em?"

"They would be small, only children to your eyes," Aragorn added. I looked around at all the horsemen, but I saw no sign of them. My pulse quickened.

Éomer's expression looked grave. "We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them." He pointed away to the north.

"D...dead?" Gimli choked out.

"I am sorry," Éomer said quietly.

Anger rose in my chest. "You can't be serious. How could you be so careless?" I cried.

"Again, I apologize. They escaped our sight somehow."He let out a shrill whistle. "Hasufel! Arod!" Two horses came forth, one a beautiful tan, the other a bright white. Éomer handed the reins to Aragorn. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell." He jumped back on his horse and replaced his helmet. "Look for your friends, but do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands. We ride north!" he shouted, and the horsemen rode swiftly away, leaving the four of us alone once more.


	11. The White Rider

**A/N: And with that, we continue! What did you guys think of Íverin's little nightmare scene? Hopefully you could figure out what she was seeing, and possibly even who she was hearing. I think it turned out rather well! ^^ Enjoy this next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I swear upon the grace of the Valar that I own nothing except Íverin. Happy, copyright? -_-'**

For a little while we rode, following the haunting trail of smoke that floated on the breeze. Legolas and Gimli rode on Arod, the white horse, together, while Aragorn and I took Hasufel, the brown one. With every passing minute, my fear grew. If Éomer was right, if Merry and Pippin really were dead...I couldn't even think about it. After an hour or so, we finally came in sight of the burning of the Uruk-Hai. As soon as I saw it, I jumped off the horse and ran towards it, ignoring Aragorn's cries for me to stay back.

I coughed as I got closer. The mass of burning, rotting black bodies emitted a horrible stench that would have made me vomit, had I not had a good purpose for visiting the death site. It was marked as a victory for the horsemen by the head of a single Uruk on a spear, with an expression so disgusting, I had to look away. Smoke blew everywhere, and I ran in slow circles around the pile, searching for any sign of the hobbits.

Gimli also joined me, and began picking through the corpses with his axe. Not two minutes later, after flinging aside the arm of an enemy, his face fell. He reached in and pulled out one of their woven belts, given to them by Galadriel herself, out of the wreckage. "The belt..." he said hoarsely.

Legolas put a hand over his heart, quietly whispering a prayer. Aragorn screamed in fury and kicked a helmet across the grass.

For a moment, I was absolutely still. They were dead. Merry and Pippin were no more. Our search had been in vain. We...we had failed them. I sank to my knees, crying openly. And all because they were mistaken by those idiot riders! For a couple of dirty Uruks, no less! How could the men of Rohan be so blind? How could they be so ruthless as to kill two innocent Halflings?

Someone touched my shoulder. "Get off me," I hissed. I stood up and turned around to see Legolas standing there.

"I am sorry," Legolas said quietly. He looked down. "I thought you-"

"Thought I what? Thought I was upset? Thought I was angry? Well, look how smart you are," I seethed. "I don't need your stupid hugs. We could have run faster, Legolas. We could have saved them! Do you not understand? We failed! WE! FAILED! And you're not helping!" Angrily, I stormed away, walking over to my cousin as I wiped my eyes. It was over. All for nothing. The evil voice from my nightmare rang in my head again. _"All you love will perish."_

Ignoring it, I looked down at Aragorn. "Now what?"

Instead of answering, he felt the ground, where there was a large dent in the dirt. "A hobbit lay here," he said sadly, "and here, his companion." He pointed to another dent off to the left.

"Aragorn," I said, "we cannot stay here. They...they are gone."

But again he ignored me, his eyes now searching the ground. "...they crawled." He rose and followed the scuffed up earth. "Their hands were bound." Now all four of us followed the trail. Aragorn bent down and ripped a piece of dirty rope from the ground, examining its severed edges. "Their bonds were cut!" A new hope rose within me. Could they be alive?

Now he ran back and forth, following their tracks. "They ran over here...then here..."

I noticed another set of tracks, heavier, not that of a hobbit or horseman. I tapped Aragorn's arm and pointed them out. "They were followed," he said. I grew angry again. Those foul creatures! If they so much as gave the boys a bruise of scratch, I would kill them personally.

"The tracks lead away from the battle!" We ran away from the pile of corpses, and suddenly stopped short.

"...and into Fangorn Forest," I breathed.

"Fangorn..." Gimli whispered. "What madness draw from in there?"

The forest looked old and twisted. The Wood-Elf in me longed to explore it, discover the secrets it held. "Danger or no," I said, "we must go in. We did not come all this way for nothing." Checking that my knife and sword were still by my side, I ducked under a particularly low hanging branch and headed in.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

For many miles we walked in silence, save for the occasional groan or creak of the trees. It did not frighten me, but I was certainly wary of what I said or did in the forest's presence. As we walked, I kept my eye on Legolas, who at this point was walking ahead of me with Aragorn. I felt guilty now about the harsh words I had spoken to him, but the anger in my heart still glowed like hot coals. It was not the time to apologize. Not yet.

Gimli reached out and wiped a black substance off a nearby leaf, tasting it. He instantly spat it out. "Orc blood!"

I raised an eyebrow. "And how would you know what the horrid stuff that flows through their veins tastes like?" He laughed.

"This forest is old," Legolas said. "Very, very old. Full of memory...and anger."

I watched the trees as we passed them by, remembering the tales that Elrond had told me growing up. He had spoken of the Ents, the shepherds of the forest. Trees that walked and talked to each other, and knew everything that was worth knowing. A peaceful race, but a fading one, and when provoked, very dangerous.

There was another groan, and another, and another. We stopped walking. Gimli gasped and raised his axe.

"The trees are speaking to each other!" Legolas said. He seemed in awe of what was happening.

"Gimli!" Aragorn whispered. The spooked dwarf looked at him. "Lower your axe!" He did so.

I closed my eyes, listening to the trees. Bitter memories of war, and Orcs especially, filled my mind. They were angry with the Orcs, no doubt, but there was something else they were telling me. A warning. I opened my eyes. "We are not alone. Someone draws near."

Legolas nodded. "The White Wizard approaches." My body tensed.

"Saruman," Aragorn whispered. "Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us."

I nodded and grabbed my sword.

"We must be quick," he said, and we all turned around. I withdrew my sword from its sheath. And old man stood there, but a blinding white light obscured his face.

Gimli threw his axe, but Saruman managed to block it. Legolas shot at him, but with lightning speed, the wizard blocked the arrow as well. With a cry, I leapt forward, planning to run him through with my sword, but he thrust out his hand, and an unseen force threw me backward, knocking the blade from my hand. I stumbled and fell, and Legolas caught me in his arms. Aragorn's blade burst into flames, and he dropped it. Standing up, I squinted from the light, afraid now that I knew we were unable to hinder him.

The wizard spoke, his voice deep. "You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits."

"Where are they?" Aragorn demanded.

"They passed this way. The day before yesterday." Something about him seemed familiar. "They met someone they...did not expect. Does that comfort you?"

"Who are you?" Aragorn said. The old man did not answer. "Show yourself!"

The white light finally faded, and what I saw absolutely astounded me. There in front of us stood Gandalf, clothed fully in robes of white. His hair was also white, sleek and straight, not gray and bushy as it had been before. His staff was carved out of white wood also.

"It cannot be..." Aragorn whispered.

Gimli and Legolas got down on their knees, bowing to him. Aragorn stood stone still in shock. "You fell!" Aragorn said.

"Through fire...and water," Gandalf replied. "From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak I fought with the Balrog of Morgoth, until at last I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside. Darkness took me, and I strayed out of thought and time. The stars wheeled overhead, and every day was as long as a life age of the earth. But it was not the end. I felt life in me again. I've been sent back until my task is done."

"Gandalf..." I said. I ran forward and tackled him in a hug. "Gandalf...I've missed you so much!"

"Gandalf?" He released me and looked around, as if recalling an old memory. "...that's what they used to call me. Gandalf the Grey...that was my name."

"Gandalf," Gimli smiled.

The old wizard smiled back. "I am Gandalf the White. And I come back to you know...at the turn of the tide."

He led us out of Fangorn, moving quickly, explaining his plan along the way, but I was not paying attention. I slowed my pace until I was side by side with Legolas, and as we walked, I talked quietly in his ear.

"Legolas, I...I am so sorry for how I acted at the sight of the Uruk-Hai. I do not know what came over me. Grief, I suppose, but that is no excuse for how I acted. I did not mean anything I said. Can you ever forgive me?"

He looked up at me and grinned. "Oh, thank the Valar! I was starting to think you were really upset with me once you stopped talking to me. Yes, Íverin, I forgive you. How could I not?"

I smiled. "Thank you!" I reached over and gave him a quick hug.

We emerged from the depths of Fangorn and out into the bright sunlight, standing once more on a large grassy plain. Gandalf whistled, first high, then low in pitch. For a moment, it seemed like nothing had happened. And then, from far away over the rolling hills, the whinny of a horse could be heard. A great white stallion came galloping to us, moving faster than any horse I had seen before.

"That is one of the Mearas, unless my eyes are cheated by some spell," Legolas said.

"Shadowfax," Gandalf said with a smile. "He is the lord of all horses, and has been my friend through many dangers." He stroked the horse's neck.

Two other horses came up with Shadowfax. I smiled. "Hasufel!" I smiled as the familiar brown horse trotted up to me. We quickly mounted our horses as we had done before and set off, with Gandalf leading the way. As we rode along, I asked the old wizard, "Where are we going?"

"To Edoras!" Gandalf replied. "King Théoden is in dire need of healing."

I was confused by his last statement, but did not ask what he meant. Onward we rode, until at last we came in sight of the capital city of Rohan. The town sat atop a great hill that rose up out of the ground near the Ered Nimrais. The town seemed very quaint and peaceful, with several cottages for homes, but as we rode through, the people looked at us like we were evil spies come to harm them.

"You'd find more cheer in a graveyard," muttered Gimli.

At last we dismounted our horses and came upon Mesufeld, the Golden Hall, were the King resided. It was a very impressive building, made completely out of wood, adorned with gold accents everywhere. We climbed the large steps, and were greeted by several guards in armor.

"Ah!" Gandalf smiled. He must have recognized them.

One man with long, red hair, spoke. "I cannot allow you before Théoden King so armed, Gandalf Greyhame, by order of...Gríma Wormtongue." He said the last name with a bitter disrespectful tone.

Gandalf nodded, and motioned for us to hand over our weapons. Reluctantly, I gave them my sword, knife, bow, quiver, and pack. Once we were stripped of our belongings, I made to go in, but one of the guards stopped me.

The red haired man motioned toward Gandalf. "Your staff."

"Oh..." Gandalf frowned. "You would not part an old man from his walking stick." He shifted his weight slightly to make it appear that he actually was leaning on it.

The guard looked at him for a moment, then sighed, stepping aside to let us pass. I looked up at Gandalf as we walked in, and he gave my a sly wink. I smiled.

Once we entered the Golden Hall, I was yet impressed. The building was massive, with ceilings arching high above our heads. Horse decorations were at the top of several pillars that held the roof up, and a large trio of kettles hung over a fire pit in the middle of the stone floor. At the far end of the hall, there was a throne, and in it sat an old man. His beard was greenish and ragged, his face pale and wrinkled, and his eyes looked...drained of all happiness. He seemed on the verge of death. Shadow surrounded his throne.

"The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late, Théoden King!" Gandalf called.

The King stirred for a moment, and then answered weakly, "Why...should I welcome you...Gandalf Stormcrow?"

Suddenly, one of the shadows by his throne moved, and from it emerged a thin, pale man, with eyes large and greedy. His hair was jet black and greasy, and he was clothed in black as well. When he spoke, I wrinkled my nose, for his words had a foul air about them. "Late is the hour in which this conjurer chooses to appear!" He stepped down from the throne's platform and strode up to Gandalf. "Lathspell, I name him. Ill news is an ill guest."

"Be silent!" Gandalf commanded. "Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth! I did not pass through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm." He stuck his staff in the pale man's face, and there was a deep roll, like that of thunder.

The pale man's eyes widened. "His staff...I told you to take the wizard's staff!" he hurriedly backed away.

Guards charged at him from all sides. The first one I saw, I punched him in the face, knocking him down. The others followed suit, taking down each guard one by one as Gandalf strode forward. "Théoden, son of Thengel!" he cried. I kicked another guard in the stomach, sending him stumbling backwards. "Too long have you sat in shadow.'

Legolas snapped his fist up without looking back and hit a man square in the jaw. I tackled another.

With a roar, Gimli pinned the pale man down on the ground with his foot. "I would stay still if I were you," he hissed.

Gandalf reached the foot of the King's throne. "Harken to me!" The tortured man looked up, and more men gathered around us, but did not attack. Gandalf raised a hand, and an unseen wind blew through the hall. "I release you...from your spell."

The old king began to laugh, but not a cheerful laugh. And evil, bitter laugh. I frowned. It had not worked. "You have no power here, Gandalf the Grey." He laughed again.

Within the blink of an eye, Gandalf straightened and cast aside his grey cloak that he had been wearing. His robes of white now shone brightly, and every eye in the room was drawn to him. Théoden sat upright in his seat with a gasp.

"I will draw you, Saruman, as poison is drawn from a wound." Again he thrust his staff forward, and the King cried out as he was slammed back against his seat.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a young woman with fair skin and long, wavy, blonde hair dart towards the King with a frightened look in her eye. Aragorn grabbed her and held her back. "Wait!" he said.

The old man spoke again, but a chill went through me now. He did not speak with the voice of a wounded man, but the deep, evil voice of Saruman. "If I go...Théoden dies!" He writhed in the chair, trying to escape.

Gandalf slammed him back again. "You cannot kill me, and you will not kill him!"

Saruman glared at him and resisted again. "Rohan is mine!"

"Begone!" Gandalf demanded.

Saruman twisted in the King's seat, and for a moment was still. Then, with a terrible cry, he leapt forward, rising out of the King's throne, and straight for Gandalf. The White Rider, in turn, shouted back, thrusting his staff once more, as if to spear him. He threw Théoden back into his seat with a bang, and was still.

The King groaned, and slowly fell forward, out of his throne. The woman snapped free of Aragorn's grasp and ran to him, catching him just before he fell to the ground. She sat him upright, and he took deep, panicked breaths. As if by magic, the deathly look about him was lifted, and his hair grew shorter, deep gold in color, with wavy locks that fell to just above his shoulders. A scruffy, short blonde beard was on his face, and his eyes regained a bright blue color as well, looking wise and proud. The flicked frantically around, like a deer caught by its prey.

Finally, he looked at the girl holding him. "I know your face...Éowyn..." He smiled, then looked up at his healer. "Gandalf."

Gandalf smiled. "Breathe the free air again, my friend."

King Théoden rose, looking around. "Dark have been my dreams of late." He looked at his own hands doubtfully.

"Your fingers would remember their own strength better, if they grasped your sword," Gandalf advised.

One of the guards brought Théoden's sword forward. Slowly, he gripped the hilt, and unsheathed it, holding it proudly. After a moment, his gaze settled on the pale snake that was his servant, and a cold hatred burned in his eyes. He walked slowly but menacingly towards the man, herding him outside onto the steps of Mesufeld. On his command, two guards picked him up and threw him down the steps. There Théoden met him, anger consuming him as the traitor writhed on the ground, crying out in pain. "I've only...ever...served you, my lord!"

Théoden did not believe him for a second. "Your witchcraft...would've had me crawling on all fours like a beast!" He swung his sword up to strike him, but before he could bring it down, Aragorn jumped in, grabbing his arms.

"No my lord! No, my lord! Let him go!" Many shot him a confused look. "Enough blood has been spilt on his account." Théoden hesitated for a moment, and finally agreed.

"Get out of my way!" The man in black screamed as he fled, pushing people aside.

All the townsfolk gathered around their leader, joyous to see him well again. "Hail Théoden King!" someone shouted, and all bowed down to him, including myself.

And then Théoden looked up, as if a sudden realization hit him. "Where is Théodred?" he asked to no one in particular. "Where is my son?"

A muffled cry could be heard, and I turned around to see the woman from inside covering her mouth with her hand, eyes glistening with tears. What had happened?

"My lord..." one of his servants walked up to him. "Your son...he is dead."

The look on Théoden's face made me want to scream. "How? How did this happen?"

"He was slain, uncle," said the girl, "by a band of Orcs in battle." She wept.

Théoden was silent for a long moment. "...Take me to him." The guard led him outside of Edoras, to a group of hills dotted with white flowers just outside the gate. Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, the girl, and I followed, along with a few other servants. We stopped in front of one of the mounds, where a small wooden marker lay in the grass. It read: _Here lies Théodred, son of Théoden, Prince of Edoras, and Captain of the Horse-lords. _

We all stood, silently grieving for the fall of the young man for awhile. Then, one by one, people began to leave. I was one of the last to leave, following the girl up the hill, but not before catching some of Théoden's last words. "No parent should have to bury their child." Tears sprung to my eyes, and I walked faster up the hill, desperate to escape the despair.


	12. Aragorn's Demise

**A/N: Aaaaaaaaaannd...here we go! New chapter! :D Once again, be prepared for some serious angst from Íverin. For those of you that have seen the movies (which is hopefully all of you), you should know why I say that. I do want Galadriel's gift to her to still appear in the story, so yeah...Íverin's gonna go through some crap. :3 Have fun reading!**

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. Íverin, and only Íverin, is mine. **

**Random guy: O RLY?  
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**Me: YA RLY.**

We were all gathered inside Mesufeld. Théoden sat on his throne, deep in thought, while Gandalf sat by his side, giving him counsel. Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and I were grouped around a nearby table. Éowyn was tending to two small children who were found alone with a horse outside the gates of Edoras. For awhile now, we had been listening to reports of the destruction of Rohan, and the invasion of the servants of Saruman.

"This is but a taste of the terror Saruman will unleash," Gandalf said.

I sighed. "Well, we cannot simply sit back and watch Rohan fall to ruin."

"No," Théoden replied, "we cannot. But I will not bring further death to my people. I will not risk open war."

"Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not," Aragorn said.

Théoden glared at him. "When last I looked, Théoden, not Aragorn, was King of Rohan."

"You have no other choice, lord!" I said.

"Ah, but that is where you are wrong, my dear. The people of Rohan are not as weak as many assume them to be. We have the magnificent fortress of Helm's Deep to secure us. Many a war has been fought there, and we have always come out on top."

"But you cannot assume the same thing for this war. You are dealing with more than just a simple attack, you are dealing with Saruman."

"And if Saruman attacks Edoras, imagine the shock he will feel upon discovery that it is empty!" the King smiled. "No, Íverin, we do have another option. We will empty the city!" He turned to his soldiers. "Take only what is needed! We leave at sunrise tomorrow. We make for Helm's Deep!"

His soldiers hurried off, already beginning to spread the news. "Go now, guests! Rest for tomorrow's journey!" With that, the King turned and went back to his throne, and the rest of us stood and exited to our quarters, but not before I cast one last glare at Théoden.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

I watched the ground moving underneath my feet as Aragorn and I slowly walked on with the citizens of Edoras, slowly but surely making our way into the depths of the mountains. He had a hold of the reins, as we had been riding for some time, but we had both gotten tired of sitting, and thought it best to walk.

"Aragorn..." I said quietly. He looked up at me. "We are not doing the right thing, are we?"

"Why do you think that?" he asked.

I sighed. "Théoden should not be running away from his enemy. He keeps assuming that things will work out in his favor, but that is never a good strategy when it comes to war. Saruman is a stronger enemy than he supposes; he will not give up that easily. And the people of Rohan cannot live in the mountains forever. They would have to return to Edoras for supplies eventually, so why do they flee?"

A bemused look was in his eye. "You know much about war. How did you come to learn all this?"

I shrugged. "I do not know. Just an opinion, I guess. If there's one thing I have learned in my lifetime, it is to never doubt the enemy."

"You are very smart, Íverin. But do not worry. I do not think we are doing the right thing either, but...Théoden is only doing what he thinks is best for his people. And we have many strong warriors. We will be all right."

I smiled. "We have the White Rider." Aragorn tried to smile convincingly back, but I saw right through it. "What?"

"Nothing," he replied.

Panic rising in me, I looked around. I finally realized that I had not seen Gandalf at all since yesterday evening. "Aragorn, where is Gandalf?" My cousin looked away. "Tell me!"

"He left us."

I was shocked. "Why? Surely he sees the error of Théoden's ways!"

"He does," Aragorn assured me, "and that is why he left. To get help."

"But...if the enemy follows us...he would not make it back in time!"

"Do not doubt him," he said. "Gandalf knows what he's doing."

I frowned and began to look at my surroundings once more. My eyes landed on Legolas and Gimli, who were on Arod several yards ahead of us. I remembered the conversation the elf and I had on the banks of the Anduin. It seemed like so long ago. "Aragorn?"

"Yes?"

"...have you and Legolas been friends for a long time?"

He shot me a look, confused by the question. "I would say so. Why do you ask?"

"Has he ever told you anything about his family?"

"Like what?"

"Well," I said, "just after we left Lórien, he told me that his mother died when he was young."

Aragorn frowned. "He told you that? He must trust you an awful lot. We had been friends for many long years before I learned that about him."

I perked up. Another sign, perhaps? "What else is his past like? He seemed reluctant to talk about it, but...I cannot help but be curious."

My cousin was quiet for several moments. "...I do not feel the need to tell you, Íverin. It is Legolas's choice what he keeps private and what he shares with you."

I pouted. "Please?"

"If you wish to know, you may ask him yourself. But, if you choose to do so, be careful what you say. The last thing you want to do is say something you'll regret." He smiled. "You do that a lot."

I laughed. "You know me too well." I reached up and messed up his hair. "I love you, cousin."

"I love you too, Íverin."

Suddenly, there came a cry from far ahead. "We're under attack!" Aragorn and I shared a look, and hopped back onto Hasufeld. Aragorn snapped the reins, and we sped off, rushing up the hill. As we came to the top, I saw Legolas standing there, shooting off into the distance at horrible creatures that looked like a hybrid between wolves and hyenas, with Orcs riding their backs.

"What are those things?" I shouted.

"Wargs! More servants of Saruman!" Aragorn replied over his shoulder. I watched as Legolas expertly swung underneath his horse and landed safely on top, with him and Gimli riding up next to us.

"Pretty impressive!" I said. He laughed.

"Aragorn!" I looked back to see King Théoden riding up on our other side. He frowned upon seeing my face. "Lady Íverin! Get out of here! Make for Helm's Deep with the rest of the women and children!"

I scoffed. "Why would I do that when I can fight?"

"It is too dangerous!" he shouted. "Go with Éowyn!"

"No!" Legolas shouted from my other side. "Let her stay! It would be unwise to keep her behind! She has more skill than you think!"

Théoden looked from me to Legolas, back to me, and finally at Aragorn. "Fine," he said, and rode onward.

I looked back at Legolas. "Thanks. I owe you one." I grabbed my bow and fitted an arrow to it, shooting the first Warg I saw. Aragorn and I split up from Legolas and Gimli, weaving through the enemies, killing as we went. Once I ran out of arrows, I put my bow away and pulled out my sword. Tapping Aragorn's arm, I cried, "I'm getting down!"

He nodded. "Be careful!"

"I will!" I jumped down from the horse, sticking the landing, and ran off. A Warg charged straight at me and pounced. At the last second, I ducked, and as he sailed over me, I stuck my sword up, driving it deep into his stomach. The beast yelped and went down, and I turned around and stabbed its Orc master, too. Another Warg, this time with no Orc, came at me, and I jumped to the left, bringing down my sword once, twice, three times to behead it. Another one of the foul, twisted dogs jumped at me, jaws open wide, and I stumbled and fell, but then quickly used my momentum to roll back up onto my feet, turn around, and stick my blade in his eye.

Suddenly, I heard a shout from not too far away. Gimli was lying underneath a dead Warg and Orc, and another Warg was crawling up on top of him, crushing him to death. I ran up and slammed into the dog, shoving him off my bearded friend, and sliced him across the back, then spun around and stabbed his heart.

I ran back over to Gimli. "Are you hurt?"

"No, lassie! But I'm afraid I can't move to well underneath all this death!"

I got my arms under the Orc's body, and with a grunt, tossed it away. Standing by Gimli's head, I braced myself against the dead Warg, and pushed with all my might, but it did not budge. "Helo me Gimli, if you can!" I said. He nodded, and with a great cry we managed to roll the mangy beast off of him.

He hopped to his feet, gripping his axe tightly. "Many thanks, Íverin! Were it not for you, I should think I would be long gone by now!"

I smiled. "Not a problem." I looked around. The battle had been a victory for Rohan. Bodies of our dead enemies lay everywhere, and blood stained the grass. But we had suffered a heavy blow as well. Many of our riders were slain, and even some of the horses did not survive. I shuddered as I caught a glimpse of one missing a leg.

I saw Legolas up the hill a bit, and ran up to him. "Final count?" I asked with a smile.

He returned it. "27."

"Ah, you beat me! I had only 23." I laughed. "Where's Aragorn?"

"I was hoping you would tell me," he said. "I have not seen him at all."

Looking around, I called out for my cousin. "Aragorn!"

Gimli searched for him, too. "Aragorn?"

"Come," Legolas said, "we will search for him together. He cannot be too far off." We walked back up the hill, searching for any sign of him. As we came near the edge of a high cliff, we passed an Orc, who coughed up black blood as he laughed, sneering at us.

I went over to him and placed my sword to his throat. "What do you know?"

"About your friend? He's..." he choked, "dead!"

I froze, not sure if I should believe him. "How?"

"He took a little tumble off the cliff."

Legolas, who had been standing next to me, knelt down and grabbed him by the collar of his armor. "You lie!"

The Orc laughed again, but said nothing more. Without hesitation, I bolted to the cliff's edge. Looking over, I saw nothing but sharp, jagged rocks and a raging blue river below. My heart stopped. Images of my cousin that I loved so dearly flashed through my mind. "No..." I whispered. "NO! ESTEL!" I darted forward, my feet slipping off the edge. "ESTEL!" Strong hands gripped my shoulders, pulling me back. I struggled against them. "ESTEL!" Tears streamed down my face.

"Íverin! Stop it!" Legolas tightened his grip on me.

"He can't be gone! He mustn't be!" I cried.

"Íverin!" He dragged me away from the cliff. Suddenly, he stood in front of me, blocking my view. I wrapped my arms around him and sobbed into his chest.

"Legolas, he...he...he was like my brother..."

He returned the hug and comforted me, just as he had done after Gandalf's fall in Moria. "I know how much he meant to you, Íverin. But that is no excuse to throw away your own life so irrationally." Gently, he stroked my hair. "Please...we cannot lose you, too."

I cried for a bit more, his words and embrace soothing to me. Finally, he let me go. Pushing me back so he could see my face, he looked into my eyes. I took a shaky breath.

"Will you be all right?" he asked.

I sighed. "Yes...for the moment. I will be fine." I wiped my eyes and started to walk away, but before I got too far, I felt his hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at him. "What?"

Legolas hesitated for a moment, like he wanted to say something, but couldn't find the right way to say it. He extended a hand, in which he held Aragorn's Evenstar necklace. It seemed to glow in the sunlight. "For you. The Orc had it in his hand," he said. "It might help."

I smiled weakly. "Thank you, Legolas."

After another moment, he reached out and carefully clasped it around my neck. "It looks beautiful on you."

I blushed and looked down. "Thank you...again." I laughed.

He smiled softly and walked off, back to the cliff. I watched him go, but he was not in my thoughts. I could only imagine the blood that now covered Aragorn's body, the horrible crunch he would have made as he hit the rocks. I shuddered and cried some more, sinking into despair. Aragorn was gone. The only family I had left on this journey was gone. I felt so alone. This was too much. If all of the ones I loved were doomed to die because of this quest, then...then I wanted no part in this journey anymore.


	13. The Most Beautiful Sound I've Ever Heard

**A/N: So? What did you think of the last chapter? Emotional enough for ya? Lolz. This chapter's gonna be a big one as far as romance with Íverin and Legolas goes. I think you'll enjoy it. ;) Have a nice read!**

**Disclaimer: Lord of the Rings belongs to Tolkien, not me. But I do own Íverin, I am proud to say. :)**

The rest of the journey to Helm's Deep, I rode on Hasufeld alone for the most part. Occasionally, Legolas or Gimli would try and start up a conversation with me, but they all ended the same: in a bitter silence. Often I would look into the Stone of Hope, and it would lift my spirits for a little while, showing me pictures of fun memories I'd had growing up, or other things that made me smile, but eventually I would slip back into darkness and despair.

Once we finally arrived at Rohan's massive stone fortress, I rode up to my dwarven companion. "Gimli! Where are our guest rooms? Do you know?"

He shook his head. "No, lass. I'm sorry. Ya might want to ask King Théoden himself."

"Thank you," I said just as Éowyn came up to us.

She looked worried. "Lord Aragorn? Where is he?"

My chest tightened, and without another word I turned on my horse and sped away as Gimli answered her sadly. "...He fell."

I finally found the man I was looking for. "King Théoden!" I called out.

He turned towards me with a grim smile. "Ah, Lady Íverin. What may I do for you?"

"I wish to know where my personal quarters are, my lord."

"Of course! If you'll just go through that door there, your room is the first one on the right." Seeing my saddened expression, he said, "Do not be so burdened as you are now, child. His loss is upsetting, yes, but there are more pressing matters at hand."

I closed my eyes for a moment, and when I opened them again, I glared at him. "What you ask of me...is to forget about my own kin? To simply push aside his death and worry about myself? You know not whom you speak to." I turned and quickly led my horse back down to the stables on the first level, watching as the guard put him in a stall at the back. "Always keep him there, please," I said. With that, I went back up through the main floors and into my room, where I cast myself upon my bed in grief.

I turned on my back and looked out a window to the heavens. "Why? Why is it that all I love must leave me? Is it too much to ask that I may keep those close to my heart alive?" A cold wind blew inside and chilled me as an answer, and slowly, I fell into a deep slumber.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

I opened my eyes to find myself strapped to a tree. A very old, twisted tree, surrounded by many others just like it. I recognized the place instantly. "Fangorn," I whispered to no one in particular. I struggled against my bonds, but I could not break through the iron chains that held me parallel to the tree. After a failed attempt at escape, I sighed and looked down at my feet, giving up.

Suddenly, I heard a voice shout my name. "Íverin!" it called faintly. "Íverin!" I knew that voice...

And then I saw him, standing amidst the trees, searching. "Legolas!" I cried. Instantly he saw me and smiled, running towards me. I smiled as well, upon seeing him. "I'm so glad to see you," I said.

"I have been looking everywhere for you!" Legolas replied. "How did you come to be like this?"

"I know as much as you," I said. "Can you free me?"

He flashed a confident grin. "I will certainly try." But even he could not break my bonds. After much struggle, he stepped back, his face ridden with dismay. "I am sorry, Íverin. I do not know how to get you out of here. I have failed you."

I smiled warmly. "Do not worry about me. I'll be-"

Suddenly, there was a great boom, and we both looked up in shock. Then another, and another, like a steady heartbeat. "What is that?" Legolas asked.

Though I did not know what was coming, I had an overwhelming sense of danger. "Legolas," I said urgently, "get out of here. Now."

He looked confused. "Why? I have not searched for you to give up this easily."

"Legolas, please," I implored. "you must listen to me! You need to go, now!"

Legolas opened his mouth to retort, but suddenly, there was a ferocious roar. The great winged beast from my previous nightmare came crashing through the trees, its snake-like head slithering back and forth, looking for something. The beast's beady eyes landed on Legolas.

"Run!" I shouted. "Now!"

But it was too late. With lightning speed, the beast shot out its mighty claws and wrapped them around Legolas, lifting him high into the air. The Ringwraith atop it laughed deeply, and Legolas winced as the monster tightened his grip around his chest.

"No!" I screamed. "Don't hurt him! Put him down!" I wiggled underneath my chains, desperate now to break free. "Legolas!"

The Nazgûl laughed again. "So...you have deep feelings for this _elf prince_, do you?" he sneered.

"Let him go," I said through clenched teeth, "or I will personally snap your neck."

"Aren't you forgetting something, foolish girl?" He pointed to the chains around me. The beast roared again, and Legolas screamed in pain.

"STOP IT!" I screamed. "DROP HIM NOW!"

"Oh, but don't you forget what my master told you at our last little encounter?" he hissed. The trees in front of me dissolved, and were replaced with flame...in the shape of a single eye with a cat-like black slit in the center.

"...Sauron," I growled. "You have no business with him. LET HIM GO!"

A deep, rumbling laughter boomed around me. _"Íverin...you know what happens to those you love..."_ the Dark Lord said. _"Pain...and death." _On cue, the beast gripped Legolas even harder, and again he screamed. "Íverin!"

Paralyzing fear came over me. "...you would not dare."

_"Why not? I succeeded with your dear cousin, didn't I? I succeeded with your parents, long ago. This pitiful excuse of life is all you have left. Why shouldn't I kill him, too?"_

I held Sauron's burning gaze for a moment, but finally hung my head. I knew I could not win. It was impossible. With tears running down my face, I looked up at Legolas one last time. He looked terrified. "Legolas..." I said, "I...I cannot save you..." I sobbed. "And before you go...I must tell you this...I...I..."

_"Too long," _Sauron growled. My head snapped to attention, and I watched in horror as the evil beast holding Legolas in his claws stepped back, and with Legolas screaming my name at the top of his lungs, threw the elven prince into The Great Eye's flaming abyss.

"NO!" I screamed. "LEGOLAS!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

I bolted awake to the sound of a knock on my door. I was shaking with terror from the second nightmare, so it took me a moment before I finally answered the door to see one of the King's servants there. "Yes?"

"His Majesty requests your presence at a feast, Lady Íverin. Ready yourself quickly."

I nodded and shut the door. I quickly changed into a much more casual outfit. I already had a plan of escape brewing in my mind. I pulled a long white dress overtop of white cotton pants and my favorite dark brown boots. I also had on underneath my navy-blue traveling top with a deep neckline, rimmed with lavender. After quickly brushing through my hair, I hurried out into the main hall, hoping I was not entering at a bad time.

The party was fun and happy, and a victorious feeling was about the place. I did not see many people I knew, though, save for Éowyn. After about fifteen minutes of eating and drinking, the hall fell silent, and Théoden raised his glass. "A toast to those who gave their lives protecting our people today!"

"A toast!" the people replied. Éowyn took a sip from her glass, but I stayed perfectly still. "Íverin," she said quietly, "I...I'm so sorry about Aragorn."

I already felt choked up. I put on a fake smile for her. "It's fine. Now, if you will excuse me, I...I have to use the restroom." I set my cup down and strode away quickly. Now was the time.

I pushed through the crowd, tears already blurring my vision. I blinked them away, not paying attention to whom I was shoving aside. I made my way through the chaos until I came to the hallways where our private rooms were located, ducking into my own. Immediately, I started gathering up my things and packing them in my trusty leather bag. My fingers brushed against the Stone of Hope, but I did not take it out. I barely even registered that it was there.

As I packed up the last of my supplies, I heard someone in the doorway. "There you are!" Legolas said. "I thought I saw you out there. Had enough party time, have you?" he joked, sitting down on the bed next to me.

I sighed. "Not now, Legolas." I slung my bag over my shoulder and grabbed my dark blue wrap. I would need that for when it got chilly.

"Why not? What's wrong?"

"I'm...leaving."

"Leaving? To go where?"

"...back to Rivendell." I strode out the door, hoping I could leave it at that.

But of course Legolas would not let me do so. "What do you mean? Íverin, you cannot be serious." He followed me out back into the main hall.

I kept walking. "I am dead serious," I said, this time avoiding the crowds. "Why would I stay if I have no reason to?"

"What are you talking about?"

I stepped outside and whirled to face him. "Estel is gone. Gandalf is gone. I do not whis to remain here alone. Goodbye, Legolas." In the back of my mind, I also thought, _and I do not wish to be here to experience your death. _With tears in my eyes, I turned and disappeared into the outdoor crowd, losing him in seconds. Quickly, I made my way down to the first floor of the hideaway, to the stable. I walked to where I knew Hasufeld would be. "This may be the last time I ever ride you, my friend," I whispered to the horse. "Bear me well." Just as I was about to mount, a hand grabbed my arm. I spun around. "Legolas," I said.

"Why are you doing this?" He sounded panicky.

"Because I must."

"That is not true, and you know it."

I yanked my arm from his grip, and before he could react, jumped onto Hasufeld. "Go!" I cried, and bolted out of the stall.

"No!" Legolas shouted. By some miracle, he managed to grab a hold of the horse and lift himself up so that he was sitting behind me as we sped along. "Íverin!" he cried. "You cannot leave!"

"Why not?" I countered. We were about to pass through the gates of the Deeping Wall. "Elrond was right, I do not belong here! It is pointless for me to stay!" Hasufeld charged down the stone walkway outside and began to cross the grass, headed for the large hill that hid Helm's Deep.

"It is not!" Legolas replied. "How could you say such things?"

"This journey was not meant for me! No one needs me here!"

Suddenly, Legolas's strong hands gripped my upper arms, and he jerked left, hard. I was caught off guard, and before I knew it, I was falling off my horse and hitting the ground. I rolled over onto my back, planning to get up, but Legolas grabbed my wrists and pinned me down, leaning over me. I tried kicking, but to no avail.

"Listen to me," he said. I closed my eyes and turned my head away. "Listen to me!" He pushed on my wrists harder, and I obeyed, finally looking at him. His ice-blue eyes locked with mine. "I know not who or what told you these things, but they are wrong. Dead wrong. If Elrond thought that you did not belong, he would have never invited you in the first place. You cannot give up now. You have come too far."

"No one needs me," I said again.

"Lies!" he cried. After a moment, he said, more quietly, "...I need you. You...you bring hope to me, Íverin. You are a light in my hours of darkness. If ever I am feeling grieved or full of despair, it is you who comforts me the most. You are the thing that keeps me going. You are the one who brings me joy."

I stared at him, my mind and heart racing. This...this was what Gimli had predicted. It was all true!

"Please," he said, a single tear sliding down his pale cheek. "You are all I have left."

"Legolas...I..."

And then he kissed me.

His soft lips locked perfectly with mine. For a moment, I tensed, not sure what to do. And then, something exploded in my chest, and I melted into the kiss, returning the favor with all the love and passion I had. His fingers gently caressed my cheek, and I felt his long hair tickled he base of my neck. It was perfect. The whole thing was perfect, and I wanted it to last forever.

After a wonderfully long moment, he pulled away, his face mere inches from mine. "Think of Aragorn," he said. "What would he want you to do?"

I smiled. "He would want me to stay," I said. "And I shall." I reached up and kissed him again, adrenaline pumping through my veins.

When I let him go, he too was smiling. "Thank you," he said, and helped me to my feet.

Once he did. I laced my fingers between his, and took Hasufeld by the reins. "No, Legolas. Thank you." We walked back into Helm's Deep together, and I smiled the whole way. I could not leave Legolas. Not now, because I loved him.

Eventually, we made our way back to my room, standing in the doorway, still holding hands. I did not want to let go.

"You know, Íverin," he said, "There is something I have always wanted to tell you."

"And that would be?" I asked.

He blushed a bit. "Your laugh...it is the most beautiful sound I have ever heard in my entire life."

I smiled. "And there is something I must tell you as well."

"Yes?" he said.

I leaned in, pulling him close. "You have the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen." I gave him one last kiss, then hugged him. "I love you, Legolas."

"I love you too, Íverin," he whispered.


	14. Preparations

**A/N: Woo! They finally kissed! :DDDDD But don't think that the story ends there, guys. We've still got another whole movie and a half to go, and Íverin's past has yet to be revealed. :3 We'll see how things play out...mwahahaha**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except Íverin, ok? :)**

I woke up the next day, and Legolas was the first thing that came to my mind. Memories of the previous night came flooding back to me, and for awhile I lay still in my bed, relishing the feeling of being in love. With a smile on my face, I put on a light purple dress with wide sleeves and silver trim, including a low-cut neckline with a sparkling silver undershirt. I adjusted Aragorn's pendant so that it laid just right on my chest for all to see. After bowing my head in a moment of silence for my cousin, I slipped outside and into the main hall for breakfast.

I sat down next to Éowyn and smiled. "Good morning, Éowyn."

"Good morning, Íverin. How was your night? I didn't see you after you left at the party, and I got worried. Nothing happened to you, right?"

I laughed. "Not anything...bad, no."

A knowing smile crept across her face. "What happened?" I recounted the events of last night with Legolas quickly for her. She beamed. "That's wonderful news! I am happy for the both of you." Her gaze fell on my necklace. "...Where did you get that?"

"From Legolas," I answered. "To keep a part of my cousin with me wherever I go."

"Oh," Éowyn said. Judging by the look on her face, I easily guessed that she had found out about Arwen and Aragorn's relationship. I pitied her, but Arwen even more so. I wondered how she would find out of Aragorn's death.

At the thought of my lost cousin, my heart ached. I quickly finished my breakfast. "What time is it?" I asked Éowyn.

"It is nearly ten in the morning," she laughed. "You woke up a bit late."

"Oh...I guess I tend to do that sometimes. Better than not waking up until supper, right?" We laughed.

Suddenly, the large doors that served as the main entrance to the hall creaked and groaned, and were thrown open. I looked up to see who it was, and my jaw dropped. There stood my cousin, bloody and beaten, looking like he had just gone to hell and back, but alive. Breathing, walking, and alive.

I ran towards him, almost knocking him over with my hug. "Estel!" Despite how dirty he was, I buried my face in his jacket, weeping tears of joy. "Oh, Estel...Aragorn...my cousin...how are you still alive?"

"By the grace of Arw...the Valar," he said. I noticed that he had caught himself, since Éowyn was there. "And I have missed you much, dear Íverin." We embraced for a long while.

"I thought I'd lost you..." I whispered.

"You have not, cousin. I am weary, but before I seek food and water, I must speak with the King at once." He pulled himself out of the hug and was about to walk away, when he stopped. "My necklace..." he said softly.

"Oh, yes!" I quickly unclasped the necklace and handed it to him. "Legolas gave it to me when we learned that you fell." Speaking of which...I peeked over my cousin's shoulder to see my tall blonde lover standing there with a smile on his face. I ran up to him. "Why didn't you tell me he'd arrived?" I smiled and kissed him for a moment, spinning around in a hug. When we released each other, Legolas stopped short and looked up. "What are you..." I followed his gaze to see Aragorn looking at us with his eyebrows raised and a very confused look on his face.

It soon turned into a knowing smile. "It appears that I've missed much while I was gone!" he laughed. "Congratulations." He turned back around to face King Théoden. "My Lord! A great host has set forth from Isengard! They march on Helm's Deep!"

Théoden's normally proud expression wavered. I smirked. "A great host, you say?"

Aragorn nodded. "All of Isengard has been emptied."

"How many?"

"Ten thousand strong, at least."

His eyes widened. "Ten thousand?"

"It is an army bred for a single purpose," I said. "To destroy the world of Men."

"They will be here by nightfall," Aragorn said.

For a moment, Théoden actually looked truly afraid. And then, as soon as that look had come, it was gone, replaced by one of determination and anger. "Let them come! I want every able-bodied man to be given a sword and be ready to fight! Get the women and children into the caves! No army has ever breached the Deeping Wall, or set foot inside the Hornburg! And it shall not change this night!" With that, he stalked off, giving more orders to his servants.

I looked at Legolas with worry. "Well?" he said. "What do you think?"

I sighed. "I think we've got a long night ahead of us."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Later that afternoon, I was in my bedroom, digging around to find my spare dagger with little success. I was halfway underneath my bed when suddenly, a muffled voice shouted "Íverin!"

Startled by the noise, I jumped and hit my head on the boards of the bedframe above me. "Ouch!" I scrambled out from underneath the bed and jumped up, brushing the dust and dirt off of my dress. I blushed when I saw Legolas standing there.

He chuckled. "I am sorry. Looking for something?"

"Yes," I said, "my dagger. I cannot find it anywhere."

"Actually, that is exactly what I came over here for." From his belt he pulled out my knife that I had always kept by my side and handed it to me.

"Oh! Thank you!" I took it, and looked at it sadly for a moment, along with all the other weapons I had lined up on my bed, then set it down with the rest of them.

Legolas must have caught my look. "What troubles you?"

"Théoden," I said. "He is too cocky and proud of his previous victories, that he likes to assume that he can never be defeated. And that is one of the biggest mistakes you can ever make when in war."

"That is very true. The more confident you get, the easier it is to overlook the important little details in strategies."

I smiled. "Great minds think alike. When I was younger, and in training, I remember the most important rule I ever learned was this: There is always room for both failure and success." I turned back to my bed to continue organizing my things.

"Good rule," Legolas said. Suddenly I felt the slight pressure of a sword against the back of my neck. "Know any more?"

I quickly whipped out my own sword and stepped forward, then spun on my heels and met Legolas's blade with my own. "Never let your guard down," I said with a smile, "and," I moved quickly and flung his blade out of his hand so that it pierced my room's wall. "never underestimate the enemy."

He nodded in approval. "You are a good fighter. I for one am certainly glad that I am on your side."

"Same to you," I said. I looked up at him. "Though I've only ever fought these Uruk-Hai once, and not nearly as many. Do you think we will have enough men?"

He shook his head. "No, I do not think so. To be honest with you, I am not even entirely certain that we are going to make it out of here alive."

I frowned. "You're nervous."

"Yes, I guess I am."

I smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. "You shouldn't be. You are not going to be alone."

"I know that," he said, "I actually was referring to both of us. Or, more specifically, you." He looked me right in the eyes. "You know that I would hate to be split up from you."

"I do know that. Which is why I will do everything in my power to stick with you, Legolas." I kissed his cheek. "Do not worry. We'll be fine."

Suddenly, a loud bell sounded throughout the Hornburg. "Guess that's our cue to get ready," I said. "If you will excuse me..." Legolas nodded and left the room. Moving quickly, I removed my dress, and in place of it wore a layer of chainmail, shin and arm guards, my traditional dark blue shirt and leggings, with tall brown leather boots and fingerless gloves, completed with a belt strapped around my hips, bearing my sword and two extra daggers.

I slipped outside, and for the next few hours, darted in and out of certain rooms here and there throughout the Keep, improving my weapons and taking care of a few last-minute details. I was sharpening my sword in a crowded room full of men, when suddenly, the room went silent.

The clear voice of Legolas rang out, speaking in his realm's form of Elvish. I was probably one of the few who could actually understand him.

"And they should be. Three hundred...against ten thousand!"

What surprised me the most was not the bitter tone in Legolas's voice, but the harsh way Aragorn replied back to him in the same tongue. "They have a better chance of defending themselves here than at Edoras." I pushed through the crowd until I was standing practically right behind them.

"Aragorn...they cannot win this fight. They are all going to die!" came Legolas's angry reply.

Aragorn grew so angry, he stopped speaking in Elvish and fell back into the Common tongue. "Then I shall die as one of them!" He glared at Legolas for a moment, and no one moved. Then, finally, he walked away, leaving Legolas standing there alone.

He made a move to go after him, but Gimli held him back. "Let him go, lad. Let him be."

The dwarf walked away, but I still stood behind Legolas, arms crossed. "Legolas." he turned around, surprised to see me. "What?" I could still hear the hostility in his voice.

I glared at him. "Why did you say that to him?"

"Because it is hopeless! I do not want to fight a war that I know I cannot win!" He started to walk away, but I grabbed his arm and turned him around. I did not notice until then that the men surrounding us had started listening again, so I pulled him away and into a corner where we were not being watched.

"Funny. I remember us having a conversation not too long ago, a conversation saying that there was always a possibility for failure AND success."

"Tis a sad thing that sometimes one is more likely than the other."

I looked him right in the eye. "Legolas," I said softly, "I did not decide to give my heart to someone who would so easily despair. I love you for many reasons, and one of them is because you have always been my rock, my solid ground to stand on when I am weak. Now please, do not despair." I reached into my pocket and pulled out the Stone of Hope, slipping it into his hand.

He looked down at it. "What is it?"

"It is my gift from Galadriel, the Stone of Hope. Look into it, and it will show you an image that lifts your spirits high."

Reluctantly, he did so. After a moment, he smiled.

"Well?" I asked. "What did you see?"

He looked up. "I saw you smiling." I smiled. "Just like that," he laughed quietly.

I kissed his forehead. "Be strong. And go apologize to Aragorn, please." He nodded, and we slipped off, walking around until we found Aragorn in the armor room. He stopped readjusting the straps on his belt and looked up at Legolas.

"We have come this far, and you have not led us astray. Forgive me. I was wrong to despair." Legolas said.

Aragorn smiled and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "There is nothing to forgive, Legolas."

Gimli walked out from around the corner, holding a set of chain mail bunched up around his torso. He grumbled and fidgeted with it for a second, and finally let it fall. The three of us gave him a strange look. "It's a little tight across the chest!" I laughed.

Suddenly, a sharp horn sound rang in our ears. It sounded familiar to me.

Legolas jerked his head up, so he must have recognized it as well. "That is no Orc horn," he said, and the four of us charged outside.

What awaited us was quite an uplifting sight! An elven army, with hundreds of soldiers, had all filed into Helm's Deep in an orderly fashion. As we appeared at the top of the staircase leading outside, I smiled. "Haldir!"

He turned to us and smiled back in the midst of speaking with the King. "We come to honor that allegiance."

Aragorn was overjoyed. "Welcome, Haldir!" he said in the elven tongue, and ran up to hug him. The tall blonde elf with dark eyes stiffened, then returned the hug awkwardly. "You are most welcome."

I nudged Legolas, and we both went and stood beside Haldir. As we fell in line, I whispered, "Well, I certainly don't feel quite as out of place as I did before." Legolas laughed quietly.

"We are proud to fight alongside Men once more," Haldir declared.


	15. The Battle of Helm's Deep

**A/N: Sorry if that last chapter was kinda boring, but by the time I got to the Battle of Helm's deep, it was already pretty long, and I didn't want to end the chapter in the middle of a battle. On the upside, we start this one off with a bang! :D Enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything but Íverin...and some strawberries with cream. :3**

It seemed like we had stood in the darkness for hours, waiting. I stood next to Legolas on the front lines, with the rest of our elven comrades. Gimli stood next to us, though he was in an unfortunate spot for someone of his short stature.

A dark mass, darker than the black ground, with torches flickering here and there, moved towards us. They were close enough now that I could make out the dents in their hard, cruelly made armor. Each and every Uruk-Hai bore the White Hand of Saruman somewhere on his armor or body.

I stood with my hands on the edge of the rock wall, surveying the enemy before me. Legolas reached over and put a firm hand on top of mine. "You frightened?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No. I am just anxious, as I am with every battle I will ever take part in."

He gave my hand a squeeze. "You will be all right."

Gimli was growing tired of standing behind a wall for so long, with naught but the top of his helmet peeking out over the stone. "Ya could've picked a better spot!"

From the heavens there came a flash of lightning and a roll of thunder, and before I knew it, rain started pouring down, soaking through my clothes. Saruman's army stopped, and began to pound the giant spears they carried into the ground, taunting us.

"What's happening out there?" Gimli complained, trying to jump up so he could properly see.

"Shall I describe it to you?" Legolas asked, smiling. "Or would you like me to find you a box?" Gimli laughed in response.

Aragorn gave the command to raise our bows. My muscles were tensed, and I resisted the urge to just jump down there and strangle them all for teasing us. Suddenly, someone from far down the wall let go, and the arrow sunk deep into the neck of an Uruk in the front. The rest of them stopped pounding their spears and stared at him. All was deathly quiet.

"HOLD!" Aragorn shouted in Elvish. The Uruk groaned and fell to the ground with a thud. Those that were surrounding him roared in anger. The leader, who stood atop a large rock in the battlefield gave a loud cry, and the army of Isengard charged forward.

"Prepare to fire!"

I fitted an arrow to my bow and aimed at one, waiting for the command to fire.

"Their armor is weak at the neck...and beneath the arm," Legolas said. I shifted my aim slightly.

"Release arrows!" Aragorn cried. I let mine go, and it hit the Uruk right where I'd aimed it.

"Did ya hit anything?" Gimli asked. I smiled and nodded. The men of Rohan let loose a volley of arrows as well, and I watched as the monsters fell, one by one. But thousands more came up behind them. I shot again, hitting another Uruk in the neck. Again our enemies fell, but again more came running up behind them.

"Hand 'em to me, come on!" Gimli exclaimed.

The Uruk-Hai began to fire back, and some of the elves surrounding me were hit and fell to their death.

"Ladders!" I heard Aragorn shout.

"Of course!" Gimli groaned.

I watched as a tall wooden ladder was hoisted up against the wall with ropes. I continued to shoot at the Uruks as they began to climb.

"Swords!" I shot one more enemy before I whipped out my blade, glinting in the moonlight. One of the ladders came up right in front of me, but Gimli reached out and swung his axe, knocking the brute down before he could hit us. Another crawled up and started swinging, wiping out several elves nearby. I ran up and cut off the arm holding his sword.

"Íverin!" Legolas shouted, and he ran up beside me as he killed off one. "Stay with me!"

"I will!" I stabbed one in the chest, then kicked another aside and cut his side. I heard a roar, and whipped around to see one of them coming up behind me with his blade held high. I ducked to my right and ran my sword through his stomach. Uruk after Uruk came up, and I killed every one of them.

I heard Gimli shout for us. "Legolas! Íverin!" He raised his fingers. "Two already!"

"I'm on seventeen!" Legolas called back.

"Twenty!" I replied.

"Ah! I'll have no pointy-ears outscoring me!" With that, he raised his axe and hit an Orc in the midsection, bringing him down. Legolas shot me a look.

I smirked. "What? Got a problem with a girl being better than you?" I laughed as I punched another one. Whipping out one of my knives, I turned and stabbed another in the nose, then shoved him aside.

Legolas started shooting at each one that came up to the top of the ladder near us. "As a matter of fact, I do!" he joked. "Nineteen!"

"Twenty-three!" I stabbed another. One of the ladders fell down, but two more were put up in its place.

Gimli counted aloud as he knocked some off the wall. "Seventeen!...Eighteen!...Nineteen!...Twenty!"

It wasn't until then that I noticed a great host of the Uruk-Hai, shielded on top and in front, were slowly but surely making their way up the stone walkway that led to the gate. I shot at one, and he fell. "They're coming up to the gate!" I screamed. Several fighters around me started shooting at them, too. I turned around again, only to see a fist coming straight for me. Not being able to react in time, I took it to the shoulder, stumbling backwards.

"Hey!" Legolas screamed and jumped in front of me, stabbing him before he could come any closer. He reached down and helped me to my feet.

"Thanks," I said, and ran through another beast to my left with my blade. As I moved closer to the wall, something else caught my eye. A path had been cleared in the sea of Uruk-Hai, and two of them were carrying a large spiked metal ball to the drain at the base of the Deeping Wall. "Helm's Deep's one weakness..." I said to myself. I shot a them, but missed and hit one of them that was standing off to the side instead. They left, and another pair with the same type of weapon came up behind them, but they also failed. I shot again, and knocked one down as they were coming back. He fell to the ground.

From the crowd emerged now a single Uruk, carrying an explosive in his hand. The fuse was running short. I shot at him too, but missed.

Apparently Aragorn saw him, too. "Bring him down, Legolas!"

The tall, blonde elf was struggling with an Uruk. I finished off his opponent. "Go! I'll cover for you!" I growled as another beast came up to me, and cut off his head. Legolas hit the Uruk with the explosive once, but he did not go down.

"Kill him! Kill him!" Aragorn cried.

Legolas shot him one more time, and he looked like he was about to die, but at the last second, he tripped while running over the body of the Uruk I had killed. He hit the wall, and I tackled Legolas to the ground as the wall exploded. Dust and dirt rained down on us, and I heard the screams of both Elves and Men as they were thrown into the air.

I jumped up and pulled Legolas up with me. Water gushed out of the gaping hole in the wall, and Uruks went charging in. At the same time, the enemies reached the gate, and brought forth a long wooden battering ram to break through.

"Aragorn!" I looked up and heard the cries of Gimli as he ran right off the edge of the wall and landed on the Uruk-Hai, buying him time. My cousin got up and ran back, readying himself to fight again.

I reached out and grabbed Legolas's arm. "Should we go down there?"

"Of course! Come on!" He grabbed a shield nearby and slid it down the rain-slicked steps, jumping onto it and riding it like a professional, shooting several Uruk-Hai on the way down, finishin it off by jumping at the last second and slamming the metal into one's chest. He then quickly stabbed another in the face with his knife and kicked him aside.

I followed him down the steps. "Not bad for a prince," I smiled. I stabbed another enemy that was coming up behind us.

"Thank you. I try," he replied. Together we fought at the foot of the stairs for awhile, slaying anything evil that came in out path. Every weapon I had was slick with black blood.

And then I heard the order. "Pull back to the Keep!" I grabbed Legolas's arm and pulled him up the stairs behind me. We ran past Haldir, and just as we did, I heard a slash and a gasp, and I turned around to see Haldir fall to his knees, having been sliced straight down the back by an Uruk. "HALDIR!" I screamed, stopping dead in my tracks. I made to charge towards him, but Legolas pulled me away.

"No!" he shouted. "You cannot save him now! We must go!"

Unwillingly, I obeyed, running to the Keep. Ducking behind a wall, I looked up at him. "What now?"

"We fight more," he said simply. He ran off again, and I chased him. We ended up back outside on the outer wall, where the enemy was sending up even more ladders, now bursting with Uruk-Hai already clinging to them. Legolas reached for his bow and shot at the ropes holding one up, snapping it in two. The ladder tipped and fell backwards, and we smiled as the Uruks screeched from below as they were smashed.

Suddenly, I saw Aragorn and Gimli down outside the gate, fighting fiercely, but wearing down. The Uruk-Hai would surely overwhelm them soon. "Legolas!" I cried. "Get them out of there!"

He nodded and tossed a rope down to them. "Aragorn!" Turning to me, he said, "Help me pull them up!" We both grabbed the rope and yanked, slowly pulling our comrades to safety.

Once their heads appeared over the top of the wall, I grabbed them and helped Legolas lift them over. Aragorn nodded in thanks and looked at me. "You don't seem very tired at all, cousin!"

I gave a confident grin. "I could go all night." I looked back at Legolas as Aragorn and Gimli ran off elsewhere. "Well, what are you standing there for? Let's go!" I turned and ran off in the opposite direction, along the edge of the wall, with Legolas right behind me. A huge Uruk jumped in front of me, and I stabbed him and kicked his leg to get him down. But just as I did so, another one jumped out from the side and grabbed me by the neck, lifting me into the air.

"What's this?" he sneered. "A prissy little elf-girl, thinking she can fight?"

"I'll have you know," I hissed, "that the reason that most of your friends here are lying dead on the ground is because of my blade."

He growled and tightened his grip on my throat, bringing his weapon up. "I'm gonna have fun killing you!" I twisted and kicked, but could not get out of his iron grip. I couldn't breathe.

"LET HER GO!" Legolas shouted, and punched him in the face. The Uruk roared in pain and dropped me on the ground. I gagged, catching my breath and groping for my knife.

Now the Uruk turned on Legolas. "Another one? You fragile folk need to learn your place!" With lightning speed, he swung his sword ferociously. Legolas ducked, missing it once, and tried to stab him, but missed.

I shakily stood on my feet and blinked, steadying myself. A sharp cry of pain rung in my ears, and I snapped my head up, my mouth opening in shock. Legolas was on all fours on the ground, clutching his stomach in pain. His arm was bleeding badly. He raised his head to look at his attacker, towering over him with an evil smile on his face.

The Uruk picked him up by the neck also, but instead of strangling him, reached out and dangled him over the side of the wall. Legolas struggled to free himself, but could not. He was too weak. The beast that was holding him growled. "Punch me again, I dare you. You should've never left your precious woods, elf boy."

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" I screamed. I ran towards him at full speed, making to headbutt him, but instead, twisted at the last second and tackled him from the front, taking the ugly beast down. I crouched over him, my voice twisted with cold fury. Whipping out my knife and holding it to his throat, I hissed, "Next time you will think twice before laying your foul hands on my lover." With that, I brought the blade down, and the Uruk was no more.

Dropping the blade, I ran over to Legolas, who was propped up against the wall. I grabbed him by the shoulders. "Legolas! Are you all right?"

He winced. "No," he said. "My arm..."

"Can you run?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Good." I grabbed his good hand and took off, dragging him along. I sped through the madness, cutting down anyone that stood in my way. The words of Sauron from my dreams rang wildly in my head. "Please..." I cried, "...do not let him die...not now!"

Finally, we reached the main hall. Without stopping, I slipped inside and darted towards my bedroom. I flung the door open and had him sit on the bed. I knelt down so I could look at him. "Stay here! I will send help!" I rose to leave.

"No!" he cried. "I want to fight!"

"Legolas, you're not going to kill anything with that arm. I don't want you to get hurt any worse than you are right now. Please...do this for me." After a moment, he finally nodded. "Thank you." I ducked out into the hallway and grabbed the first man I saw. "You! Are you able to heal? Do you have medicines?" He nodded.

I pointed to my room. "Please, help him. His arm is badly cut." The man nodded and ran to Legolas. I went back out into the main hall to see Aragorn, Théoden, and a great host of other men on horses...inside? The light of a new dawn poured through the window. I ran up to my cousin. "What is going on?"

He looked down at me. "There you are! Get on!" Without any hesitation, I jumped onto the back of Hasufeld. "Where is Legolas?" he asked.

"Wounded," I said. "He is in my room. Now what are we-"

All of a sudden, a great horn blared, sounding loudly in the Deep. The Uruk-Hai crashed through the main doors with a roar.

"Forth Eorlingas!" Théoden cried, and we all charged straight at the monsters, cutting through them like a machete through butter. I swung my blade back and forth, slaying many. Legolas never left my mind. We charged outside and down the stone pathway, sending the Uruk-Hai flying. The deep rumble of the horn still sounded loudly. Downwards we ran, until we came upon the end of the pathway, meeting up with the hundreds of Uruks still left on the plain.

From the top of the hill hiding the stone fortress, there came the loud whinny of a horse. I looked up to see a single horse, white in color, with its White Rider shining brightly in the morning sunlight. "Gandalf," Aragorn and I whispered. Théoden saw him too, as did the rest of the Uruk-Hai. With a growl, they all turned to face him, not intimidated by a single old man.

Beside Gandalf came another man, who I recognized as the one who had interrogated Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli and I before we had entered Fangorn.

"Éomer!" the King exclaimed.

Behind him came even more horsemen, several hundred, enough perhaps to challenge what was left of Saruman's army.

"TO THE KING!" they cried, and charged down the hill. The Uruks hefted their spears, still not afraid. And then, just as they reached the bottom of the hill, the sun came up behind the Riders of Rohan, blinding the enemy. The Uruk-Hai cried out in fear and cringed, shrinking back in the broad daylight. Gandalf and the men of Rohan easily overcame them.

"YES!" I shouted. "YES!" I jumped down off Hasufeld and began cutting through the rest of the enemies myself, shouting with joy.

After a few moments more of fighting, Gandalf finally trotted up to me, smiling as I bent down over the last of the Uruk-Hai left standing. Raising a blade over his chest, I put my face near his. "How does it feel to be killed by a she-elf?" I sneered.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

I burst into my room, running right to my bedside. Several Rohan men were standing around it, and I shoved them aside. "Let me through! Let me see him!" I dropped to my knees, looking at my fallen hero. His face was, as always, fair and pale, his eyes closed, his expression peaceful. His hair was still a bit astray from the battle, and his arms were folded over his chest, the right one bandaged, but still blood soaked through the wrapping slightly. He did not move.

My heart stopped. "No..." I croaked. "Legolas...no!" I bent my head over him, crying. "Please don't leave me! Come back! Don't leave me here!" I bent over him and kissed him hard, my tears sliding onto his face. "My hero..." He had died to save me. To protect me.

I closed my eyes and laid my head on his chest. This couldn't be happening. Sauron had been right. I had caused his death. He had died for me. Because of me. If I hadn't been so careless, then maybe he would still be here. Maybe...I sobbed. "Legolas...come back..."

Suddenly, my eyes popped open. My head was moving, but not by my doing. It was slowly being lifted up and down...by the rising and falling of his chest. I snapped my head up to see him looking right at me, his eyes as blue and full of life as ever. He sat up. "Íverin, my darling...I have not gone anywhere." He pulled me into a strong hug, like nothing had happened.

I cried again, though this time with tears of joy. "Don't you ever scare me like that again."


	16. A Hidden Past

**A/N: ….Am I seriously starting scenes in RotK already? Feels like just yesterday I was figuring out how to begin my prologue. O_o Time flies, eh? Before we begin, I would like to give special shout-outs to ccgnme, sarcasmwithasmile, Kit-Kat-Kitsune, and shadow-fox313. You guys in particular have left me so many nice reviews and comments, and from the bottom of my heart I thank you. ^^ But of course, I couldn't forget about everyone else! To all of you who have faved, watched, reviewed, or even simply taken the time to read this story, thanks to you, too! :D This story would've gotten nowhere without you guys. And sorry for the lack of updates recently. I've been busy with school and other things. With that said, enjoy this next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Íverin and all the crazy ideas that made this story possible. XD**

**Note: I love how the ad over top of this story is an ad for LotR. XD rofl**

"So how many Uruk-Hai did you end up killing, anyway?" I asked.

"Thirty-seven. Why?" Legolas responded as we continued trotting along on our horses.

I smirked. "Oh, no reason..."

"Wait, how many did you kill?"

"Fifty-six."

His jaw dropped, and the shock on his face was so obvious I couldn't help but laugh. "Close your mouth, dear! You might swallow a bug," I laughed as I leaned over and kissed him.

"Fifty...fifty-six? How in the world did you do that?"

I shrugged. "What can I say? I despise those foul creatures." We were currently riding back to Edoras, along with everyone else that had survived the war at Helm's Deep. The sun was high and shining brightly, and the air was cool. Not a single cloud could be seen in the vast blue expanse above our heads. Looking back at Legolas, I asked, "How is your arm?"  
>"It could be better. But the bleeding has stopped; that has got to count for something."<p>

"Good. It will take a while to heal, but I think you will survive. You will probably have a really nasty scar there, though."

He smiled. "That will just show how much more effort I put into the fight than you."

"Hey, now don't get a big head about it!" I laughed, and he laughed with me. Legolas's cut was fairly deep, and ran all the way up his forearm. It would be there for awhile, but it was not a life-threatening wound anymore.

Suddenly, I heard a shout. "Íverin!" I looked over my shoulder to see Aragorn beckoning to me.

"I will be back in a moment," I told Legolas. I slowed the pace of Hasufeld and met up with my cousin, riding alongside him. He had gotten a new horse, Corror. I smiled at him. "Hello, Aragorn. You wanted to see me?"

"Íverin...there's something I think you should know."

The tone of his voice told me it was not a good thing. "About what?"

"About Legolas."

I frowned and looked ahead to where he rode, talking and laughing with Gimli. "What about him?"

Aragorn sighed. "First of all, the only reason I am telling you this is because I know that he has not yet told you himself, and I fear that if you do not learn this soon enough, it will get you into a lot of trouble." He turned to look at me. "I can see how much you love him, and how much he loves you as well. Tell me, has he ever told you anything about his family?"

I thought back to our conversation on the banks of the Anduin, which seemed so long ago. "Yes, but not much. He said that his mother died when he was young, and that now he lives with his father in the palace in Mirkwood."

"Did he ever say anything about siblings?"

"He said he did not have any."

"He does, Íverin. Or at least, he did."

I blinked. "What? Why would he lie to me?"

"Because Legolas...doesn't like to talk about his past. He probably only said that to keep you from asking questions, which we both know you would do."

Again I glanced at Legolas, my heart filled with concern for him. "...What happened to him?"

"It's not really what already happened, it's more like what could happen. You see, Legolas had a sister when he was younger, Taureanel. She looked just like their mother; pale brown hair, ice blue eyes, like her brother's as well. And she was a very happy child. Being the older of the two, she was originally meant to have the crown first, once she got married. But when she finally did fall in love...she fell in love with a half-blood. A man who was originally of northern Rohan, but who was also Wood-Elf."

My eyes widened. A half-blood. Just like me...

"When she brought him before her father, King Thranduil, he was...outraged, to put it simply. He refused to let his only daughter marry a 'mutt' like that man. Taureanel, in turn, argued that she would never leave him. The fights between the two royals got so bad, eventually the King resorted to beating her as punishment. By that point, Taureanel'd had enough. One night, she ran away, fleeing Mirkwood, never to return. She lost everything. The crown, her family...even her friends back home. No one has ever seen her since, not even Legolas. Though he has never forgotten about her, I might add. And neither has their father."

I looked back at Legolas again, heartbroken. "And you...you think Thranduil would do the same thing to Legolas?"

Aragorn nodded. "I hate to tell you this, but...I just wanted you to know what you're getting yourself into."

A thousand thoughts raced through my mind, all revolving around Legolas and the story of his sister. I certainly did not want Legolas to be harmed in any way, but I also did want out love to be hindered either. What was I to do?

I could tell how much it pained Aragorn to lay this burden on me. "I'm sorry, Íverin."

"Wait!" I cried. "Does he even know that I'm a half-blood?"

"No," my cousin replied, "but that is not something you can hide from him for much longer."

I nodded. "I know that. But now...I'm afraid that telling him won't make things much better."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

We arrived back in Edoras late that night. For a long while, I stayed in my room, unpacking my things and thinking about everything I had learned. I cringed at the thought of Legolas walking out of the castle with bruises and cuts all over his body. There was no way I was letting that happen. But...I loved him. There was no denying that. And I could not just throw that love away so easily.

I sighed. There must be another solution to this. There must be! I reached into my bag and pulled out the Stone of Hope. I looked into it, hoping that it could give me some sort of sign as to what I should do. The sparkling blackness of the stone shifted, then faded away, leaving an image of myself as a small child running freely through the fields of Imladris in its place. My hair was very long and smooth, and laughter was in my eyes. I looked so happy. Smiling, I put the stone away. Life had been so carefree and simple as a child. I only wished it would go back to that someday.

Looking out my window, I turned my gaze east and looked out at the black jagged rim that was the Mountains of Shadow; the border of Mordor. The sky above them flickered red with flame. It was all because of Sauron, his evil plans, and lust for power. If he had not existed, I wouldn't be standing here, alone in my room, feeling like the world around me was crumbling to pieces. I could be back in Imladris, practicing my archery. I could be smiling and laughing as I chased Estel across the fields. If not for Sauron, I might even still be in Osgiliath, with my parents. My parents whose faces I could not even remember.

Suddenly, there came a knock at my door. "Come in," I said.

Legolas stepped in. "I had hoped you would be in here." He walked up and slid his arms around my waist, cuddling with me. "Are you well?"

As much as I wanted to tell him everything, I couldn't. Not yet. So I forced a smile, trying to seem as positive as I could. "Yes, I am well." I turned my head and kissed him. "And you?"

"I am much happier now that I have you, _nîn cala _(my light)."

I smiled, genuinely now. If anyone could make me happy, it was Legolas. "_Im meleth le, Legolas_ (I love you, Legolas)."

"_Im meleth le, __Í__verin. Le eth bein, neir van treth esta m__î__r_ (I love you, Íverin. You are beautiful, more fair than any jewel.)."

I looked up at him. "_Im faun nerren lon aise canad a m__íthren adan lest le_ (I could never have asked for a better man than you)."

"_Pada le_ (Thank you)." Falling back into the tongue of Men, he said, "It is late. I should go, so that you may sleep tonight." He let go of me and made for the door.

"No," I said softly, "stay." I walked over to my bed and sat down, smiling shyly at him. "I never asked you to leave, did I?" I patted the bed. "Come here with me."

He looked at me oddly for a moment, and there was a long silence. Finally Legolas said, "Íverin...if you are suggesting that we...ah..." he blushed slightly and looked at his feet.

I frowned, confused. "I do not understand. What are you..." suddenly, I realized what was making him so uncomfortable. "Oh! You thought I meant...Legolas, I am sorry. That was not my intention. To be honest, I do not plan to...experience that until after I am married."

Relief washed over his face. "Good. For a moment I thought you were trying to seduce me," he laughed.

I laughed, too. "That was awkward." Still giggling, I crawled back onto my bed, and he laid down beside me, draping his good arm across my shoulders. I snuggled into the crook of his arm, laying my head against his chest. His heartbeat pulsed against my cheek. We sat there for awhile, talking quietly in Elvish amongst ourselves. Eventually, I dozed off, his steady breathing calming me. Just before I fell asleep, he asked me, _"Tethe Im lon a seinesse canad le, pa le lon min canad n__î__? _Since I have a nickname for you, do you have one for me?)"

I yawned. After a moment of thought, I said, _"N__î__n harma..._my treasure..." With that, I closed my eyes and drifted off into a deep slumber.


	17. The Palantir

**A/N: New chapter, guys! :D Are you liking the storyline so far? Anything you think I should add or change about it? It's not too late to let me know! ^^ I had a lot of fun writing in Elvish in the last chapter. Maybe I'll do that again, who knows? ;) Happy reading!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings, sadly. :( No one will ever be as great of a writer as Tolkien. **

I nervously watched the trees around us as our company rode through Fangorn forest once more. Honestly, it was not as dark and creepy as before, seeing as now it was daytime, and we were not on foot. But my previous nightmare haunted my every step. It seemed like every time I closed my eyes, I saw a flash of fire as Sauron laughed bitterly in my head.

Shuddering slightly, I tried to stop thinking about that and tried to focus on staying in line. I rode behind Legolas and Gimli. Aragorn rode in front of them, and Gandalf was at the head of the line. King Théoden and a few of his men rode behind me as we all steadily wove through the forest, making our way towards Isengard.

I had expected to see Isengard as a great fortress of stone and metal, as Gandalf had once described it as. But upon arrival, I was shocked to see that this was not so. Where once a great black wall had stood firm, there were now gaping holes, rocks crumbling to the ground. And even the ground was no more. The entire are was flooded. Gray, foul water swamped the place. But as we came up to what was once the Gate of Isengard, my heart was lifted, for I saw two very familiar faces sitting upon a large fallen stone. I grinned. "Merry! Pippin!"

The two hobbits spotted us as we emerged from the trees, and Merry stood up and bowed. "Welcome, my lords and lady...to Isengard!" He shakily pointed to his left.

I laughed. "Obviously you have had a bit too much merriment, my friend! Isengard is behind you."

He blinked. "Ah...that it is!"

"You young rascals!" Gimli scolded. "A merry hunt you've led us on, and now we find you...feasting, and...and smoking!"

"We are sitting," Pippin corrected him, "on a field of victory, enjoying a few well-earned comforts." Merry nodded beside him and blew several puffs of smoke from his mouth. "The salted pork is particularly good."

I could practically see Gimli's mouth watering. "S-salted pork?..."

Gandalf shook his head disapprovingly. "Hobbits."

"We're under orders!" Merry said. "From Treebeard, who has taken over management of Isengard."

"Very well, Meriadoc," Gandalf replied. "We will go see him now. Care to join us? Or are you too content drinking your life away that you will not so much as lift a finger?" He smiled faintly.

Pippin jumped down and ran over to him. "Well, no! I should very much like to join you! It gets rather boring, sitting up here and doing nothing all day." He climbed onto Corror, behind Aragorn, and Merry also came along and rode with Éomer. We headed inside, our horses sloshing through the water. As we wove our way towards Orthanc in the center, I took notice of all the wreckage surrounding us. Broken wood and scraps of metal were everywhere, old bark and other dirt floating atop the water's surface. The oddest thing, though, were the trees. They were huge, maybe twenty or thirty feet tall, looming over us. With groans and moans they walked about, able to cross the entire circle of Saruman's stronghold in a dozen strides or so. One of them stood at the foot of a great stairway leading into Orthanc. He had a great mossy beard, and deep yellowish-green eyes, and a low, rumbling voice to match.

"Mmm...young Master Gandalf. I'm, hoom, glad you've come. Wood and water, stock and stone I can master, but there's a wizard to manage here...locked in his tower." In a way, he reminded me of Gandalf himself, old and wise.

Aragorn looked up to the top of the great fortress, towering over us like a great black spike, piercing the otherwise blue sky. "Show yourself," he whispered.

"Be careful!" Gandalf said. "Even in defeat, Saruman is dangerous."

"Well let's just have his head and be done with it!" Gimli sighed. I chuckled. That was the easy way out.

"No," the old wizard replied. "we need him alive. We need him to talk."

There was a long silence. And then, a deep, evil voice filled the air. "You have fought many wars and slain many many men, Théoden King, and made peace afterwards." I looked up, and there, at the top of his tower, Saruman stood, still clothed in clean robes of white, leaning on his thin black staff. A white globe was at its tip, and his hair and beard were also white, save for a tuft of black in them. I frowned upon seeing him. "Can we not take council together, as we once did, my old friend? Can we not have peace, you and I?"

I knew exactly what he was up to. His voice was deep and enchanting, as he was trying to put a spell on Théoden. But I did not see a kind old friend. I saw a monster, ready to pounce on its prey.

"We shall have peace," the King spoke up. I looked over at him in dread. Had he fallen under Saruman's spell?

But I was mistaken. "We shall have peace, when you answer for the burning of the Westfold, and the children that lie dead there! We shall have peace, when the lives of the soldiers, whose bodies were hewn even as they lay dead against the gates of the Hornburg, are avenged! When you hang from a gibbet for the sport of your own crows!...we shall have peace," he shouted.

"Gibbets and crows?" Saruman scoffed. "Dotard!" he spat. "And what do you want, Gandalf Greyhame? Let me guess. The Key of Orthanc, or perhaps the Keys of Barad-Dûr itself? Along with the crowns of the seven kings and the rods of the five wizards?"

"Your treachery has already cost many lives. Thousands more are now at risk! But you can save them, Saruman! You were deep in the Enemy's council," Gandalf replied.

"So you have come here for information?" Saruman smirked. He reached into the depths of his robe, and pulled out a large, round, black thing. "I have some for you." Holding it out over the edge of the tower, he eyed it lustfully. "Something festers in the heart of Middle-Earth. Something that you have failed to see. But the Great Eye has seen it." He lowered his arm, and gripped it by his side. "Even now he presses his advantage. His attack will come soon. You are all going to die." Gandalf looked at him oddly, and slowly urged Shadowfax forward. "But you know this, don't you Gandalf? You cannot think that this..._Ranger_ will ever sit upon the throne of Gondor," he sneered. "This exile crept from the shadows will never be crowned king."

I clenched my fists. He was pushing his luck. No one insults my family that way.

"Gandalf does not hesitate to sacrifice those closest to him. Those he professes to 'love.' Tell me," he hissed, "what words of comfort did you give the Halfling before you sent him to his doom?"

"I suggest that you get your facts straight before you speak, Saruman," I shouted, "for it was not by Gandalf's hand that he was sent on this journey. He chose his own path!" I glared at him.

His attention turned to me. "And I suggest that a helpless girl such as yourself learns her place. This is not some simple tea party for children to meddle in, especially children who are weak and foolish."

My anger grew. I had a strong desire to punch him in the face.

"Even so," Saruman continued, "what good would it do? The path that you have set him on can only lead to death."

"I've heard enough," Gimli muttered beside me. He nudged Legolas's arm. "Shoot him! Stick an arrow in his gob!" he whispered. Legolas nodded and reached for his arrows.

"No!" Gandalf said sharply. "Come down, Saruman, and your life will be spared!"

"Yes," I said quietly, "come down so I can wring your filthy neck."

"Save your pity and your mercy! I have no use for it!" he thrust his staff downward, and from its end there sprung a burst of fire. It flew at lightning speed, and hit Gandalf directly. He and Shadowfax both burst into flame.

My eyes widened. "Gandalf!" I cried. I made to jump off my horse, but Legolas reached out and grabbed my arm to stop me. I looked up to see the flames die down, and Gandalf emerged from the blaze without so much as breaking a sweat.

"Saruman!" Gandalf shouted. "Your staff is broken!"

I looked back up to the traitor, and there was a loud crack as the black rod exploded and burst into pieces, dissolving as they fell to us.

The pale man that had been misleading Théoden in Rohan came creeping up behind him, still wrapped in black fabric. He looked tired and disheveled.

Théoden recognized him immediately. "Gríma! You need not follow him! You were not always as you are now! You were once a man of Rohan!"

Gríma winced, as if recalling a painful old memory, and shrunk back a bit.

"A man...of Rohan..." Saruman growled. "What is the house of Rohan, but a thatched barn where brigands drink in the reek and rats roll on the floor with the dogs? The victory at Helm's Deep does not belong to you, Théoden Horse-master! You are a lesser son of greater sires."

Théoden looked back up at Saruman's servant hopefully. "Gríma, come down. Be free of him."

"Free?" Saruman roared. "He will never be free!"

Gríma looked up. "No.." he said.

Saruman turned to him, eyes blazing with fury. With a cry, he struck Gríma on the cheek, and the poor man screamed and fell down.

"Saruman!" Gandalf called out. "You were deep in the Enemy's council," he said again. "Tell us what you know."

Saruman glared down at Gandalf again. "You withdraw your guards, and I will tell you where your doom will be decided. I will not be held prisoner here!"

Suddenly, Gríma grabbed him from behind, and drove a knife deep into his back. Saruman tensed and grunted in pain. Gríma withdrew the dagger and stabbed him again. Gandalf winced.

Legolas quickly fired and arrow, and it hit its mark, piercing Gríma's heart. He gasped and dropped the knife, falling back onto the roof.

Saruman then stumbled and fell, but instead of joining Gríma, turned and fell off the roof of Orthanc, a tiny white blur, quickly growing bigger, tumbling and flipping in the sky. He landed flat on his back on a large spike sticking out of a great wooden wheel in the water with a sickening crunch. Merry gasped and covered his mouth. I cringed.

After a moment, Gandalf said, "Send word to all our allies, and to every corner of Middle-Earth that still stands free. The Enemy moves against us. We need to know where he will strike."

There was a loud groan, and we all watched as the large wheel now bearing the body of Saruman slowly began to turn, pushing his now pale body into the murky water below. A loud plop was heard, and I caught a glimpse of the black ball he had held earlier fall from his hand and into the water. The last thing we ever saw of Saruman were the tips of his white boots as they sunk to the bottom.

Suddenly, Pippin jumped down and ran over to the spot where the black thing had fallen. He reached down and picked it up. He stared at it, an abyss of black nothingness, turning it in his small hands.

"Pippin!" Gandalf shouted. The hobbit jumped and looked up at him. "I'll take that, my lad." Reluctantly, Pippin held the glass ball out to Gandalf, who quickly took it and wrapped it in one of his cloaks. I looked at it warily. Something told me that whatever Pippin had found was not a good thing.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Several days later, we returned to Edoras from Isengard. The journey back had been nothing particularly special, but even still I felt an evil presence around us at all times, like we were being watched. On the first night back in Edoras, I entered our guest room to find Merry, Pippin, Gimli, and Gandalf all sleeping, but Aragorn and Legolas were nowhere to be found. I quietly crept across the room, glancing down at Gandalf, who was sound asleep, but with eyes wide open, and the stone that Saruman had dropped held tightly in his arms. That was it. That ball was the thing that had me worried so much. I paused for a moment, then continued out the door.

I emerged outside onto a large stone flat, like a balcony without railings. Two tall figures stood at the edge, and I walked over to them. One of them was Aragorn, and the other was Legolas, who had his cloak pulled tightly around his shoulders and over his head. Both of them looked distressed. "What is wrong?" I asked.

Legolas's eyes were watching the horizon intently. I looked out too, and saw the ever-present flicker of Mount Doom in the distance. "The stars are veiled," he said. "Something stirs in the East. A sleepless malice. The Eye of the Enemy is moving."

Again I thought of the black ball. "What is that stone that Pippin picked up? It has been bothering me ever since I laid eyes on it."

"It is the palantír," Aragorn said. "The Seeing Stone. Saruman used it to contact Sauron when it was in his possession in the past. It is the key to how they have strategized together all these years."

I looked at him. "How do you know this?"

"Gandalf told me, a long time ago. He knows how evil it is, but I do not know why he is keeping it. Most likely to prevent it from being found, but I am not certain."

"Do you think he would try to use it in the upcoming battle?" I asked.

"No. If Gandalf – if any of us – were to look into the palantír, there is no telling what might be seen, on either side."

I looked back to the East. "Sauron's strength is growing fast. He will strike soon. We must be ready."

"We are as ready as we ever will be," Legolas said. "There is not much more we can do to prepare until we know where he will strike. He could be on the outskirts of this city by tomorrow, and we would not even know."

I shook my head. "I do not think that Sauron is going to attack Rohan. He must have known of Saruman's march on Helm's Deep, and I doubt that Saruman was able to contact him since then. Rohan should safe, for the time being."

"But that still leaves the rest of Middle-Earth open," Aragorn said. "Still plenty of options."

"Maybe..." I closed my eyes and thought. Suddenly, it came to me. "If you were Sauron," I said aloud, "and you had an entire strong army at your command, where would you want to strike?"

After a moment, Legolas answered. "I would strike a realm that was already weak, to ensure that my side would win."

"Exactly. And what is the one other kingdom other than Rohan that is weakest at this point?"

There was a moment of silence. Finally, Aragorn spoke. "Gondor."

I looked at him gravely and nodded. "I would say it is more than likely that Sauron will attack Gondor. The capital city would be your best guess."

"Minas Tirith..." my cousin whispered.

Legolas snapped his head up and looked at us. "He is here!"

I was about to ask him what that meant, when there came a loud cry for help from our room. All three of us ran in to see Pippin jerking about on the floor, holding the palantír in his hands. It looked like it was on fire, and his face showed he was in great pain. Merry was standing nearby, looking at his friend worriedly, and Gandalf shot up out of bed.

Without thinking, I ran towards Pippin and ripped the palantír out of his grasp. When I did, my mind went black. In an instant, I heard a roar in my ears, and I felt like I was being shocked over and over again with lightning. Sauron's voice was in my head. I saw the panicked faces of those around me, and things moving, but it all seemed to be in slow motion. I couldn't think.

_"__Í__verin...do not try and hide from me. I know where you are. I know whom you love. You cannot escape death, no matter how hard you try. Give up, while you still have the chance. Come serve me."_

Now I heard my own voice in my head, but I wasn't speaking aloud. "No! I will never bow down to you! You are nothing more than a filthy, twisted soul!"

Sauron cackled. _"You are unwise, foolish girl. Go back to the trees where you belong." _His laughter grew louder and louder in my head, and my vision of our room in Edoras began to fade away, slowly being replaced by fire and shadow. It felt like a pair of hands was tightening around my throat, like my body itself was on fire. And then...everything went black.


	18. Making Plans

**A/N: Sweet mother of God, I need to stop obsessing over this story. XD But it's so fun to write!Just a quick note: After writing the deleted scene "The Death of Saruman" in that last chapter, I've decided that I'm probably going to put in a couple more of the deleted scenes from RotK. I already have one that I definitely want to do, but I won't say which one. ;) Enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: …...oh, come on. If you don't know how this works by now, you should probably reread the story. **

I do not remember anything except darkness for a long time. After what seemed like an eternity of living in nothingness, I opened my eyes to see Legolas leaning over me, holding my left hand, and Aragorn standing behind them. I was lying on my back on the floor. Both of them looked worried.

"Íverin?" Legolas asked.

I blinked, and sat up. "What happened?"

Legolas didn't answer immediately. Instead, he leaned over and kissed me. "I thought you were hurt." Suddenly, he pulled away and looked at me. "You are not, are you?"

I shook my head. "No...I do not think so...but...what-"

"You took the palantír from Pippin," Aragorn said, "and you held it for a few seconds. Then you got this horrified look on your face, fell over, and dropped the thing."

"And you are sure you are not hurt?" Legolas asked again.

"I am fine. How long was I...unconscious?"

Aragorn shook his head. "Not long. Possibly for a minute or so."

And then, in the blink of an eye, I remembered everything. I jumped up from where I had been laying on the ground and looked at my cousin. "Pippin. Where is Pippin? Is he alright?" Aragorn pointed behind us, and I turned to see Pippin also lying on the ground, staring at nothing, looking paralyzed. Gandalf was leaning over him, and had a hand on the young hobbit's forehead. The three of us ran over to them.

Gandalf whispered a spell of some sort, and removed his hand. Pippin blinked, and then gasped, and started breathing quickly, like he was panicking. "Look at me," Gandalf said. The hobbit's eyes widened in fear upon seeing Gandalf and turned his head away. "Look at me!" the wizard said again. This time, Pippin obeyed. "What did you see?"

He kept that frightened look in his eyes for a moment. Finally, he spoke. "A...a tree. There was a white tree...in a courtyard of stone. It was dead. The city was burning."

Gandalf seemed to recognize the place Pippin was describing. "Minas Tirith? Is that what you saw?" I glanced over at him. Oh please, please tell me I would not have to go back there...

"I saw...I saw...I saw him!" Pippin whispered. The poor boy seemed traumatized. Gandalf's eyes widened. I recalled vivid memories of Sauron in my head. His cruel words... "I could hear his voice in my head," the hobbit said quietly. I shuddered.

"What did you hear? Speak!" Gandalf exclaimed.

Pippin cringed. "He asked me my name. I didn't answer. He hurt me!"

"What did you tell him about Frodo and the Ring?"

Pippin looked at him fearfully for a moment longer. "N...nothing. I told him nothing. That was it. That was all that he said."

Gandalf finally turned his attention to me. "What of you, Íverin? Did you tell him anything?" The wizard almost seemed scared himself.

I shook my head. "No Gandalf. I did not tell him anything about Frodo. He did not even question me."

"What did he tell you?"

As much as I wanted to forget everything Sauron had said, I recalled our brief but deadly conversation. "He said...he said that he knows where I – we – are. And then he asked me to join with him, just as he did with Saruman."

"What did you tell him?"

"I said no, I would never bow down to him. And that is all."

Gandalf nodded. "...That is good, I suppose. Nothing that was to be kept secret was revealed." He turned back to Pippin, who just now seemed to be calming down. "Peregrin Took! I suggest that you go back to sleep, if you can. Same for the rest of you. There is nothing more that can be done now. We will make our next move in the morning." We all nodded and went back to our beds. I laid down next to Legolas, as usual, and kissed him one last time before he fell asleep.

I, on the other hand, could not fall asleep, no matter how hard I tried. Maybe it was because I just was not tired. Maybe it was because I was afraid to. Maybe it was both. I did not know. I laid there for what seemed like hours, staring at the ceiling, listening to the soft breathing of my companions.

After a while, I heard a rustling, and looked up to see Gandalf getting out of bed. He motioned for me to come with him, and I silently obliged. The two of us stepped out into the hallway.

"Íverin, I know that you did not tell me everything. I assume it was because there were others listening, but I do not know. So now is the time to tell me whatever else Sauron said to you."

I sighed. "He said that I cannot hide from him, and that he knows who I love. That I cannot escape death, no matter how hard I try, and that I was foolish and should go back home."

Gandalf nodded. "I thought he might have said something about Legolas." He chuckled softly. "That poor elf. You should have seen his face when you fell; he looked so worried. He really does love you."

"I know, but...that's the problem."

The wizard frowned. "I don't understand."

I looked him in the eye. "Gandalf, I know about his sister. Aragorn told me everything."

He raised a bushy eyebrow. "Ah, so you do know! I wondered if anyone was ever going to tell you about that." He put a hand on my shoulder. "Do not worry about that so much. You'll know what to do when the time comes. Before you go, I would like to ask you something. You are well aware that Sauron is going to unleash his army on Minas Tirith, yes?"

"Yes, I know."

"And you know what that means, don't you?"

"If you are implying that you don't think I am going to travel to Gondor with the others, you are mistaken."

Gandalf smiled. "I had a feeling you'd say something like that. I just wanted to make sure you know what you're getting into."

"I do. Trust me."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"There was no lie in Pippin's eyes. A fool...but an honest fool he remains." Gandalf strode back and forth across the main hall in Mesufeld. Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli and I all stood together several feet away from him. Théoden was there also, as were Merry and Pippin. "He told Sauron nothing of Frodo and the Ring. We've been strangely fortunate. Pippin saw in the palantír a glimpse of the Enemy's plan. Sauron moves to strike Minas Tirith. If the Beacons of Gondor are lit, Rohan must be ready for war."

"Tell me," Théoden said, "why should we ride to the aid of those who did not come to ours? What do we owe Gondor?"

I sighed. "Now is not the time for this, Théoden. Middle-Earth is on the verge of utter destruction, and you are concerned with keeping things even? Remember, your land is not the only one with troubles. Perhaps Gondor wanted to help, but could not because of their own issues."

Théoden shot a glare at me, but did not respond.

"I cannot simply sit back and watch the White City fall,"Aragorn said. "I will go."

"No!" Gandalf replied.

"They must be warned!" Aragorn protested.

"They will be." Stepping closer to Aragorn, Gandalf whispered something so quietly that even I could barely hear it. I caught something about "black ships," but that was all. The old wizard stepped away. "Understand this: Things are now in motion that cannot be undone! I ride for Minas Tirith." He turned to look at Pippin. "And I won't be going alone."

"And what are we to do in your absence?" I asked.

Gandalf looked back at me and smiled. "You are to relax, Íverin. And await further orders." With that, he looked back at Pippin. "You might want to say your goodbyes now, Peregrin, for I don't know when you might see them again."

Pippin looked a bit confused, but still came over to the four of us. I got down on my knees and embraced him. "My dear Pippin...I never thought we would part this soon. It feels like we were just reunited yesterday," I said.

He hugged me back. "I'll miss you, Íverin. I hope I do see all of you again soon." We let each other go, and I stood up. He said farewell to the others.

Just before he left, I reached out and ruffled his hair one last time. "Stay safe," I whispered, and went over to Gandalf. "You too," I smiled. "Be careful."

Gandalf winked. "Don't worry about me. I have a feeling we'll see each other again." he looked back at Pippin. "Come along!" The hobbit hurried out with Gandalf. Merry followed them.

Once they were out of sight, Gimli sighed. "Well, that's that. What do ya suppose we do now?"

I watched the trio run across the plain after Gandalf. "We do exactly what he said to do. We wait."

Gimli huffed. "I never liked waiting, lass. Especially since I don't know what I'm waitin' for."

I looked back at him. "Then you might as well make the best of your free time, while you still have it." I laughed and went over to Legolas. "Care to join me?"

He smiled. "It would be my pleasure." He extended a hand, and I took it. Then, with a mischievous smirk, I let go and took off running, looking back over my shoulder. "You'll have to catch me first!" I cried.

Legolas grinned and chased after me. "Then you had better run faster!"

I laughed and looked ahead as I ran. He chased me all around town, and didn't catch up with me until we were outside of Edoras, and I was running down a hill. He reached out and grabbed my outstretched arm, accidentally jerking me back, and I screamed as I fell. I ended up running into him, and knocking him over as well. We rolled down the slope for a moment, shouting and giggling as we went. Eventually we stopped, and I pulled my leg out from underneath him, laying down in the soft grass to catch my breath. I stared up at the sky, watching the clouds pass overhead. "You know, that's the second time you've made me fall on the ground."

"Oh, was it my fault? I specifically remember _you_ knocking _me_ over," he said.

I smiled. "Hey! You're the one who grabbed my arm!"

"Well, how else was I going to get you to stop?"

I finally calmed down, and tried to look over at him seriously. But when I did, I burst out laughing again.

"What?" he asked. "What is it?"

I covered my mouth and pointed. "You...you...your hair!..." I reached over and pulled out one of many pieces of grass that were dotting his blonde head. "It looks like it's spotted green!" I laughed again.

He laughed. "Well to be honest, yours is not any better." We spent the next few minutes cleaning each other off. I tried again to look at him with a straight face, but had little success. I smiled, and then he smiled, and we both collapsed into fits of giggles again.

Finally, I sighed. "I love you, Legolas."

"I love you, too."

"We should do this more often."

"Do what? Roll down a hill?" Legolas said.

"No," I laughed, "just...have fun. Together. Especially for you." I looked over at him. "You should smile more."

He exhaled and looked up at the sky again. "I am sorry. I...I am just so used to always having to be so proper and serious from back home. But I have to admit, I like this much better."

"Good. That means we can do this more often," I smiled.

From off in the distance, there came the faint whinny of a horse, and I sat up to see Gandalf and Pippin sitting atop Shadowfax, who was galloping away south at lightning speed. I watched as they disappeared over the hills.

"Can I ask you something?"

I looked back at Legolas. "Of course."

"When is your birthday?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Why are you asking that now?"

He shrugged. "I was just curious."

I smiled. "May first. When is yours?"

"April twenty-second. We are very close."

I rose from my spot on the grass. "I shall not forget it."

He stood beside me. After a moment, he said, "Well, I guess we should be going back inside. It will soon be lunchtime." He motioned for me to take his arm. "May I?"

I grinned. "You know me better than that." I quickly kissed him on the cheek, and took off running again. "Race you back to Mesufeld!"


	19. Nightmares and Warfare

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry about the lack of updates for a few days, but I've had a lot of tests to study for lately. Hopefully I'll get some more free time to write on my hands soon, but for now, enjoy this next chapter! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from LotR except for Íverin. Kay?**

I walked quietly through Fangorn Forest once more, slipping to and fro between the old, twisted trees. It did not seem eerie to me as it once did. In fact, the Wood-Elf in me was bursting with curiosity. I wanted to explore. I smiled as the trees softly groaned and creaked around me.

Reaching out to my left, I pressed my palm to the trunk of a tree and closed my eyes, the tree's memories filling my head. In my mind, I saw a young elfling plant a tiny seed in the ground, and watched as it grew into mighty oak, standing tall and proud. I opened my eyes and pulled my hand away. "I have missed you, my friends," I whispered.

For whatever reason, I decided to turn around and walk north, back the way I came. After a few moments, my sharp eyes caught a flash of metal reflecting in the filtered sunlight. I ran over to it, and frowned. Someone had stuck a knife deep into the trunk of an old tree. It grunted in pain. I quickly removed it, and smiled at the tree. "Feel better?"

I looked down at the dagger in my hand. It was long, and very, very sharp. For awhile, I just stared at it, not sure what to do. Finally, I decided to keep it. I hid it in the layers of my pale blue dress, safely tucking it away, and continued walking. I had no idea why, but I suddenly had the overwhelming urge to travel east. So I headed in that direction.

After even more silent walking, I heard the soft snap of a twig from somewhere behind me. I tensed, but kept walking. Not too long after that, I felt a hand touch my back. I shouted and spun around, preparing for the worst. A Black Rider, maybe, or some other horrible beast. But when I saw who it was, I was instantly relieved. "Oh! Hello, Legolas."

He laughed lightly. "I am sorry if I scared you." He reached out and took my hand. "May I walk with you?"

I smiled. "Of course." For awhile we walked together, in complete silence, relishing the serenity of the woods and the time we had together.

Suddenly, a sharp, menacing voice filled my head. _"Kill him."_

I blinked in shock and recognized it as the voice of Sauron. In my mind, I answered him. "What?...N-no! Why would I-"

_"__Í__verin...you know you cannot prevent this much longer. Before this war is over, he will die. You know this."_

"You lie!" I cried. "He will not!"

Sauron cackled. _"Do not try to change that which is already destiny. Kill him now. Save me the trouble."_

"No! Legolas, run away!" I tried to warn him, but my lips did not move. I attempted to pull away from him, but my body did not respond.

_"Foolish girl...do you think this is some kind of game? This elvish prince will not live to see another day. Now, do as I say. Finish him."_

"No!" I shouted. "Legolas! Legolas, listen to me!" I screamed. "Get out of here! Please!"

But instead of talking to him, my body suddenly turned and kissed him. "Legolas..." I heard myself whisper. "I love you..." I wrapped my arms around him and started kissing him. He returned the passionate love for me.

"Stop! Sauron, stop it! Leave him alone!"

_"Oh, but it is not I who will kill him...it is you." _As if on cue, my possessed self slowly backed him up until he was pressed up against a tree.

"Íverin, I..." he said quietly, "I love you too." He kissed me again. "_Cala..."_

"Let him go!" I tried my hardest to escape this, but I couldn't control myself. I could do nothing but sit back and watch through my own eyes.

My former self let go of him with one arm, but continued to kiss him. "Legolas...you know how I feel about you." I very subtly slipped my hand into my dress and closed my fingers around the knife's handle. "And I know that you love me as well, yes?"

"Of course, love," he said. "I love you with all my heart." We kissed again.

"Yes...I know that. But Legolas...there are still some things in this world that were mistakes. Things that were not meant to be." I watched in horror as I slowly pulled the knife from its hiding place. "And...you are one of them." With that, my body stepped back a bit, and plunged the knife straight into his chest.

I let out a strangled cry. "NO!"

Legolas gasped in pain, and groaned. He reached up to pull it out, but my possessed body pushed his hand away and kissed him again, twisting the knife in the process. He cried out.

I stepped back and removed the knife with a small smirk, holding him up by the shoulders. "Legolas..."

He looked up at me, and as he did, I suddenly felt the strength return to my arms. I was in control again, but it was too late. I could do nothing as the life slowly left his eyes, and he quietly said _"N...n__î__n cala..."_ He closed his eyes, and did not speak again.

My own eyes widened, and I panicked. "No...NO! LEGOLAS! Legolas, look at me! Look at me! Don't leave me! No!" I sobbed, shaking his body. "No! Legolas, please! Just...just...just look at me...please..._n__în harma_...come back!" I pulled him close, hugging him, and crying into his shoulder as I always had. But now, instead of warm comfort, I felt nothing but the cold, unforgiving pain of death. I let him go, jerking back and looking down. The knife that had killed him was still in my hand. My hand. I screamed and dropped it. His red blood was on my clothes. I screamed again and ran, tearing through the forest, trying desperately to escape the horror of my one true love being gone. Forever.

Finally, I stopped, out of breath. I fell to my knees, still crying. "Okay! I give up! You win, Sauron!" I choked out. "You win! Is that enough? Will you stop torturing me now?" I looked up from where I had been staring at the ground. An image of Legolas flashed in front of me for a brief moment, but was then gone. I reached out to him, but just as I touched him, he vanished into thin air. I only sobbed harder.

_"I will never stop torturing you, Íverin."_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Legolas!" I cried, jolting upright in my bed. My hands and forehead were sweaty, and my heart was racing a mile a minute.

Something stirred next to me, and a familiar hand reached out and touched my arm. "I am right here, love. What is wrong?"

I looked over and wrapped him in a hug, almost crying again. "Oh, Legolas...you have no idea how happy I am to see you...you are alright..."

He stiffened, and then returned the hug. "Well, of course I am. Why would you think otherwise?"

I released him and sat back, leaning on my elbows. "Because I...I had a nightmare about you."

"I am so sorry, _Cala._ What was it about?"

I took a shaky breath. "It was horrible. I was in Fangorn...and then, there was this...knife...and...you came up to walk with me...and Sauron, he...he controlled me...and I...I t-took the knife and...I killed you." I ran a hand through my hair.

If Legolas was disturbed, he did not show it. "Do not worry, Íverin. I am here. I am safe. Nothing is going to hurt me...or us." He leaned over and kissed me. I kissed him back, falling in love all over again. I remembered the first time he had kissed me, outside of Helm's Deep...the sparks that burst in my chest...the chills that ran down my spine...

I tensed and pulled away, looking over at the wall. "I cannot do this."

"What? Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No, no...it is not you, I just...I cannot do this anymore."

"Cannot do what?"

"I...I can't have you. I can't be with you."

Legolas frowned. "Why not? You know that I love you, Íverin."

"I do know that. And I love you too. More than you will ever know. But...it just...no. I am so sorry, Legolas." I looked back at him.

He looked absolutely heartbroken. "Is there a problem? Tell me, Íverin, please! Is it about your dream?"

I hesitated. "Yes...and no."

"...Will you not talk to me?"

"It is not that, I just..." I sighed.

"If you would just tell me what is going on, perhaps we could fix it! We could stay together! We could-"

"It's not something you can change!" I cried. "...unless you are willing to change me."

Legolas looked so confused. "I do not understand."

"You never will." I climbed out of the bed, pillow in hand, and walked over to the large chair in the opposite corner of the room by the window, grabbing an extra blanket on my way over. "It is not you that is the problem."

"Then what is it?"

I curled up in the chair and faced away from him, saying nothing, and for a long while, the room was silent. Finally, I spoke. "I know about your sister."

"What? How did you...who told you?"

"I will not say."

"But how does that-"

"Good night, Legolas." I pulled the blanket up tighter around my shoulders.

"Íverin, please tell me what is going on!" I closed my eyes. "Íverin!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

I sat in the main hall with Éowyn, in a long silver dress with wide sleeves and golden trim. We had been talking for awhile about many things, and were now telling each other stories about our childhood. I was right in the middle of telling her about how Elrohir had to come save me the day I first learned how to swim, when Aragorn burst into the room.

"The Beacons of Minas Tirith! The Beacons are lit!" Out of breath, he ran up to Théoden. "Gondor calls for aid!"

We all looked to the King awaiting an answer. "...and Rohan will answer! Muster the Rohirrim!" A smile broke across my face. "Assemble the army at Dunharrow! As many men as can be found. You have two days," he said to his men. "On the third, we ride to Gondor...and war."

I jumped up from my seat. "Well, I believe that is my cue to go." I looked down at Éowyn. She looked saddened. Looking around to make sure no one was nearby, I bent down. "Why don't you come with us?" I said quietly.

She looked up. "But...how will I get past Uncle?"

I shrugged. "Just say that you have come to say farewell to the men. No good man will question an act of kindness such as that."

She smiled. "Sounds like a plan!" We laughed and hurried off together to prepare for the upcoming battle.


	20. In the Shadow of the Mountain

**A/N: Hey, everybody! I'm glad I finally got a chance to sit down and write again! :) Hopefully I'll be able to finish this story by the end of this year, but no promises! You never know how much free time you'll have, with the holidays coming up and all. Either way, here's a new chapter for ya! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story except for Íverin. Don't sue me! T^T**

A few days later, we set out from Edoras. Legolas and I had not spoken since the night of my worst nightmare. I tried to forget about him, but too often I found myself glancing over at him as we traveled. Several times I caught him watching me, too. I tried my best to keep myself occupied so I would stop thinking about him, but it was more difficult than I imagined. Many times I wondered if I really had made the right decision or not.

The only other thing that was on my mind was Gondor. A feeling of dread came over me when I thought about how close we were to my homeland. I had no idea how my return would affect things, if it affected anything at all. Would they lift the banishment out of the kindness of their hearts? Or would they send me away, forcing me to return home? I would never be able to forgive myself if I turned back now. The feeling of failure might be even worse than being executed.

I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts, I did not notice when a certain blonde elf rode up beside me. He said nothing for a while, but when he finally did speak, I could hear the hurt in his voice. "Why did you leave me?"

I could not bring myself to look at him just yet. "Legolas, please. I do not wish to talk about it."

"Please, Íverin. For me."

"It would only be another burden for you to bear. And it is not anything that should concern you."

He paused. I finally looked up at him, and he looked a bit angry. "Why do you refuse to tell me anything?" he said in frustration. "You know everything there is to know about me. Can I not know something about you?"

I looked at him sternly. "That would depend on what you would like to know."

"All right, then. Tell me about your past, since you know so much about mine."

I stiffened slightly. "You already know that. I am an elf-maiden of Rivendell."

He stared me down. "Are you? You do not always act like them. You are different. The way you speak, the way you think. Why?"

I returned his cold stare for a few minutes, then finally looked away. I could not tell him...could I? No no, it would be too risky. Who knows what me might do. Who he might tell. What his father might do. It would be foolish to say anything at this point, especially since we were merely companions now. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. He must have thought that I was not going to say anything, because he was looking the other way.

Elrond had specifically told me to tell no one about my past. He said that none could be trusted. But...if even Legolas could not be trusted...no. He could be trusted. I just did not want to put his well-being at risk. However, if I didn't say something, he might hate me for the rest of his life. I did not want that either.

I stared down at Hasufeld's black mane. "My mother was a Wood-Elf like you. She was of Lothlórien, but was never anyone special. She had lived in those woods all her life, just as any normal Elf would have. And then, one day...she met my father. From the moment she saw him, she knew in her heart that he was special. But he was different. He was a well-known man in his home; a messenger of Gondor. He had lived in the city of Osgiliath since he was a young lad. Eventually, they married, and my mother left her home and moved down to the city on the river to live with my father, and they had me. Their only daughter. A...a half-blood." I certainly hoped Legolas was listening and hadn't already left my side, but I still could not bear to look him in the eyes again.

"Three months after I was born, we were attacked by bandits, and there my mother was slain. My father decided to take me and go live in Minas Tirith, hoping we would be safe there with the rest of his family. But it was not so. Just after we arrived there, he caught a terrible illness that had no cure." I bit my lip. "...He knew he was going to die. So he contacted two of his closest and most trusted friends and asked them to take me to live in Rivendell, under custody of Lord Elrond. I arrived there safely, and Elrond adopted me as his niece, raising me with the help of his children. He told me all of this on my eighteenth birthday, since I remember none of it myself.

A few years ago, while Aragorn was hunting Gollum, he sent word to me, asking if I would aid him in his search by going back to Minas Tirith to see if they had heard word of the vile creature's whereabouts. I obliged, thinking that it would be a simple task. But it was not. For the day that I finally arrived at the gates of the White City, I discovered that Lord Denethor had heard some...mixed opinions...on the reason of my leaving the country, and had banished me from his lands, under pain of death. I returned to Rivendell immediately, and have never gone back to that city since. You know the rest of the tale from there."

Neither of us spoke for awhile. I took a shaky breath and looked over at him. "Now we're even."

He looked back at me with concern. "A half-blood...it makes perfect sense. I do not know why I never thought of that before." Legolas frowned again. "And you thought...you thought that my father..."

"I was afraid that he would hurt you if he found out about us, as he did to your sister," I said. "And I still am."

"May I ask you something?" he said. I nodded. No point in hiding anything else now. "What were your parents like?"

I closed my eyes. That was a painful one to answer. "I do not know anything about them, Legolas," I whispered, "not even their names."

"I am sorry," he said quickly. "I should not have asked."

There was another span of silence. "Well?" I said. "Now do you understand why we cannot be together?"

His raised an eyebrow. "What ever made you think that?"

I blinked. Was he joking? "Have you forgotten about your father? About me being who I am?"

Legolas smiled. "I love you, Íverin. Nothing is ever going to keep me from that. My father will have to learn that one way or another. We both agreed that I was never to have an arranged marriage, so he cannot choose who I give my heart to.'

"But...your sister, she...Legolas, I would rather live the rest of my life alone to see you get hurt like that."

"My father would not dare do that again. I am the only heir he has left. If he drives me away, then he has no one to take the throne in his place. And even if he would try to harm me, there is no law stopping me from leaving Mirkwood if I need to."

I stared at him, wide-eyed. "You would give up the crown...for me?"

He reached over and took my hand. "Of course I would, _Cala."_

"But...why?"

"Because I love you. You could even be part Dwarf, and even that would not separate us."

I laughed a bit, and finally gave in and leaned over to kiss him.

His smile widened. "I take it that we are together again?"

I nodded. "Yes. Yes we are."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

After a few days of riding, we arrived at our campsite, under the shadow of a great mountain in the late afternoon. Tents were set up and scattered about, and Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn and I were given our own private one, not far from where the King resided.

Several groups of men had already arrived, and the King was overwhelmed with reports of those accounted for as soon as he entered the campgrounds. I managed to slip easily through the chaotic crowds of soldiers, tied Hasufeld down outside our tent, and stepped inside. It was not anything particularly special, as I had expected, just four simple beds spread out neatly on the grass, with two thick blankets and fluffed pillows each, and a few currently unlit torches placed here and there, to allow light.

I poked my head out the door to make sure no one was coming, and then, ducking back inside, changed quickly and quietly from my worn, dirtied, navy-blue traveling clothes and leather gloves and boots, to a clean, pale red dress with a deeper red sash tied around my waist and trailing behind me to the ground. I balled up my old clothes and tossed them aside. I would have to get those washed later.

As I began brushing through my hair, Aragorn stepped in. "Ah, there you are! Legolas wondered where you went."

I smiled. "Did he now?"

"Yes, and you had better go find him before he starts to worry." He chuckled. "That elf would likely tear the camp apart to find you if he gets too paranoid."

I laughed. "All right, all right, I'm going." I finished combing the tangles from my long, brown hair and looked myself over. It was not until then that I noticed how long my hair had grown since we'd left Rivendell so long ago. When this whole adventure had started, it had just slightly passed my shoulders. Now it reached all the way down to just below my chest. I sighed and left the tent. I ran around the area for a bit, weaving through the mass of tents and other people, enjoying the tickle of the soft, warm grass on my toes.

Finally, I found who I was looking for. "Legolas!"

The blonde turned around, and his eyes lit up with joy as soon as he saw me. I ran right into him, and he caught me in a hug. "I have been looking for you, love," he laughed. I stepped back, and he smiled. "You look beautiful."

I blushed and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you." I was about to say more, when I suddenly noticed something in the mountain off in the distance, behind him. A...a crevice? No, that wasn't the word to describe it. It was more like...a gap. Like someone had taken a knife and cut through the mountainside. A few scraggly shrubs grew in the rubble that formed a small path in the gap, but I could not see anything other than that, for the air was shrouded in mist and shadow. An unwelcome chill came over me as I looked at it. It felt like there was some evil being waiting in the gloom.

Gimli came up beside us and noticed it as well. "That road there...where does that lead?"

"It is the road to the Dimholt, the door under the mountain," Legolas said grimly.

Now Éomer chimed in. "None who venture there ever return. That mountain is evil." He glanced at it warily and walked away.

I looked back up at Legolas. "I do not understand. What is the door under the mountain?"

"I do not wish to speak of it now. It would only dishearten you. The only thing you need to know is...to stay away. Especially if you fear ghosts."

"Ghosts?" Gimli exclaimed. "If there be ghosts hidin' away in that mountain, then why are we stayin' so close to it?"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, come now, Gimli. You cannot seriously tell me that you think ghosts are real."

Legolas looked at me with curiosity. "You do not believe in them?"

"Of course not! All of that 'evil spirits haunting the living' talk is just a bunch of children's stories for stormy nights. I will never believe that foolishness."

"Either way," the dwarf said, "I certainly won't be goin' any closer to that mountain than I have to."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

I was sitting with Legolas by the fire, wrapped up in a warm blanket, singing old elvish songs that I had learned when I was young to the men of Rohan, when I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. I stopped mid-note and turned to see King Théoden standing over me. "Do me a favor, my dear. Please find your cousin, and tell him that I need to see him in my private quarters," he whispered in my ear. Without another word, he left.

I watched him go, puzzled for a moment, then stood, dropping my blanket. "Sorry, everyone, but I am afraid I must leave." I smiled to myself as I saw looks of disappointment on their faces. "But I should return shortly." I quickly gathered up the skirt of my dress and stepped over the large log that I had been sitting on, then started to make my way back to our own tent. If my memory served me correctly, Aragorn had stayed behind while the rest of us went to sing around the fire.

I poked my head between the thick canvas sheets. Sure enough, there he was, lying on his back, fast asleep. But something in his expression told me he was dreaming, and not a very good dream, either. He twisted and turned in his bed, mumbling something about Arwen. Suddenly, he cried out and sat up, whipping his knife out of his belt, breathing heavily. "Aragorn?" I said quietly. "Are you all right?"

He sighed and lowered his weapon. "Sort of. Is something wrong?"

"King Théoden requests that you meet him in his personal tent."

Aragorn merely nodded and got up, pulling on his boots and striding out quickly. I was about to return to the campfire, but something in the back of my mind told me to follow him. Soundlessly, I trailed him, until we both finally arrived at the King's tent. He stepped inside.

I knew it was to be a private meeting, but I could not help myself. I slipped into the shadows between Théoden's tent and the one next to it, remaining unseen by the guards, and gently touched my pointed ear to the canvas, listening.

The first thing I heard was the voice of Théoden himself. "I take my leave."

I frowned. Why did he want Aragorn to come to his tent if he was leaving as soon as my cousin arrived? Out of the corner of my eye,

Now Aragorn spoke. "My Lord Elrond."

I frowned even more, now well beyond confused. What in the world was going on?

Sure enough, I heard my foster-uncle's firm voice. "I come on behalf of one whom I love."

It took all my willpower not to burst in there and embrace him hard.

"Arwen is dying. She will not long survive the evil that now spreads from Mordor. The light of the Evenstar is failing. As Sauron's power grows, her strength wanes. Arwen's life is now tied to the fate of the Ring. The Shadow is upon us, Aragorn. The end has come."

"It will not be our end, but his!" Aragorn replied defiantly.

"You ride to war, but not to victory," Elrond said. "Sauron's armies march on Minas Tirith, as you know, but in secret, he sends another force which will attack from the river. A fleet of corsair ships sails from the south. They will be in the city in two days."

My heart sunk. More enemies? But...we were already so low on men! There was no way...

"You are outnumbered, Aragorn. You need more men."

"...There are none," Aragorn said sadly.

"There are those who dwell in the mountain."

The familiar chill crept back into my heart. The Dimholt Road.

Whatever was in there, Aragorn was apparently appalled by them. "Murderers. Traitors!" he hissed. "You would call upon them to fight? They believe in nothing! They answer to no one!"

"They will answer to the King of Gondor!"

There was a brief silence. The curiosity was killing me. What did that gloomy path lead to?

Elrond spoke again. "Anduril, the Flame of the West, forged from he Shards of Narsil!"

My eyes widened. Many a time had I seen that shattered blade in the halls of the House of Elrond.

"Sauron will not have forgotten this sword," Aragorn whispered. There was the _shhing _of the sword being unsheathed. "The Blade that was Broken...shall return to Minas Tirith."

"The man who could wield the power of this sword can summon to him an army more deadly than any that walks this earth! Put aside the Ranger. Become who you were born to be. Take the Dimholt Road."

That was all I needed to hear. I slipped out from my hiding spot, not caring anymore about being seen. I charged through the camp, running as fast as my feet could carry me. Twice I got lost and had to turn around and go back. After quite a bit of running, I finally found the fireplace where we had been sitting. Thankfully, Legolas was still there. I grabbed him by the arm. "We must leave, now!" Upon seeing the confused looks of the Rohirrim, I slipped into using the Sindarin tongue. _"Aragorn sen gwannoen canad i Dimholt rathen. Est erreth suro be h__î__n _(Aragorn is leaving for the Dimholt Road. We must go with him)."

Legolas was confused, but did not resist as I pulled him back to our quarters with me. _"Cethen? Sira sen h__î__n parani__ë__ elen? _(What? Why is he doing this?)"

_"Laleth sen lau nostor canad n__î__ tad herren__î__th. N__á__mo...mun__é__in n__î _(There is no time for me to explain. Just...trust me)." We arrived back at the tent. I slipped inside, and with a sinking heart, realized that Aragorn's things were missing. "He must have gone to get Corror already. We must hurry!" Not caring if Legolas saw me in my undergarments anymore, I quickly pulled off my dress and exchanged it for my freshly washed traveling clothes. When I turned back around, Legolas had also replaced his normal green tunic, and was currently putting on his boots. I reached for mine as well. "Where is Gimli?" I asked.

"I do not know. He left the fire a few moments before you arrived to go find a bite to eat, of course," he laughed softly.

I gave my leather boots a good yank. One down, one to go. The thought of leaving my dwarven companion behind broke my heart. "Perhaps we should take his things with us, in case we should find him on our way to meet Aragorn." I pulled the other boot on and began tying my belt around my waist.

"Íverin!" I turned around mid-knot, and Legolas handed me my bow. I slung it over my back and finished tying, strapping knives to my belt quickly, and started throwing anything I saw into my leather bag. Slinging my quiver across my back, I lept up and hurried out.

_"Cala, _wait!" I stopped just outside the tent. "Are you sure you are not forgetting something?" came Legolas's voice from inside.

I looked myself over. I was wearing all my clothes, right?

A moment later, a slender hand popped out, holding a dark brown bundle. "Your bag," he said.

I grabbed it as he came out. "Thanks. Do you have Gimli's things?"

Legolas nodded. "Almost everything remained untouched in his small bag, save for his gloves and helmet. Would you mind carrying his axe?"

"Not at all." I took it from him. "Are the horses still around the back?"

"Yes. I will go get them."

I smiled when I saw Hasufeld and Arod come out from around the tent, with Legolas gently leading them. Hasufeld nuzzled me, and I stroked his mane softly. "Hello, friend." Turning back to Legolas, I said, "Come. We must catch him before he leaves!" We broke off running again, the horses trailing behind us.

"Wait!" Legolas cried.

I whipped around. "What now?"

He pointed behind us. "It's that way."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Thankfully, we spotted Gimli just as we came up to where Aragorn was standing, securing the reins on his own horse. "Gimli!" I shouted. He turned around, and I tossed him his axe.

He caught it smoothly. "What's this?" he said as Legolas walked up and handed him his things. "Have ya been rootin' through my belongings while I been gone?"

"I am sorry, friend. But Aragorn plans to leave without us, and I thought you might want to join us in coming with him," I explained.

The dwarf raised a bushy eyebrow. "Is that so?" He spun on his heel and strode up to Aragorn. "And where do ya think you're goin'?"

Aragorn shook his head. "Not this time, Gimli. This time you must stay."

Legolas came up beside him, leading the horses. "Have you learned nothing of the stubbornness of Dwarves?"

I also chimed in. "You are not going anywhere without me, Aragorn."

"And if she goes, then so do I," Legolas replied.

"Ya may as well accept it," Gimli said. "We're goin' with ya, laddie."


	21. Sea of Skulls

**A/N: Ahh, how I love taking a day off school. Just finished watching RotK, and now I'm eager to write even more! Quick head's up for you, this chapter is...kinda creepy. But I guess that's what Íverin gets for trying to negotiate with ghosties, eh? I would expect there to be...5 or 6 more chapters, plus an epilogue. But that's just a guess. For now, enjoy reading! ^^**

**Disclaimer: I OWN EVERYTHING! MWAHAHAHAHAAAA...jk. ;) Only Íverin is mine. **

The Haunted Mountain was, quite honestly, not nearly as dark and scary as I had assumed. For a whole day we rode, pausing to rest only once for a brief moment, and the weather was always bright and sunny, with not a cloud to be seen in the sky. It was actually, quite pleasant.

Gimli, however, was still a bit frightened. "What kind of army would linger in such a place?"

"One that is cursed," Legolas replied. "Long ago the men of the mountain swore an oath to the last king of Gondor, to come to his aid. To fight. But when the time came...when Gondor's need was dire...they fled, vanishing into the darkness of the mountain. And so Isildur cursed them, never to rest, until they had fulfilled their pledge. Who shall call them from the grey twilight, the forgotten people? The heir of him to whom the oath they swore. From the North shall he come. Need shall drive him. He shall pass the door to the Paths of the Dead."

I scoffed. "Grey twilight, indeed. There's not a scary thing about this place." I looked back over my shoulder. "I do not see ghosts popping out of cracks in the rock to eat us. Do you?" Legolas said nothing.

Ahead of us, Aragorn turned off the path that we were previously on. We followed him. I do not know how it happened, but...the environment changed in front of my eyes. What had previously been bathed in sunlight was now shrouded in an unforgiving mist. Scraggly, dead trees stood bent near the mountainside. And in the mountain itself, there was a doorway, with odd- looking symbols scratched into the stone above it. Skulls were embedded in the rock around it.

"The very warmth of my blood seems stolen away," Gimli whispered.

I dismounted Hasufeld and walked up to the doorway, my confidence unwavering. "What does it say?"

"The way is shut," Legolas said. "It was made by those who are dead, and the dead keep it. The way is shut."

Out of the mouth of the cave, there came a great wind, and a loud...moan...from somewhere inside. A slight chill ran down my spine.

Whatever had made that noise scared the horses half to death. The next thing I knew, Hasufeld had jerked the reins right out of my hand and took off, galloping back the way we came. Arod and Corror did the same. I sighed. "Well, there goes our transportation."

Aragorn looked back at the entrance. "I do not fear death." With that, he walked inside.

I gritted my teeth and followed him, disappearing into the blackness.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The first thing I noticed about the Paths of the Dead was that it was dark. Very, very dark. So dark that even I, with my exceptional elvish sight, could not see two feet in front of me. Until Aragorn found a torch on the wall, that is.

The tunnels we journeyed through were small and cramped. I was grateful that I was not claustrophobic. Legolas seemed fine with it as well, if not intrigued by the gloomy caves. Gimli was shaking in his boots, clinging to his axe for dear life, and jumping at every sound. Aragorn, of course, was not affected in the slightest by the place.

He strode around a corner and stuck his torch out to reveal a small room, piled high with nothing but skulls. I cringed. "Wrong way."

Aragorn nodded and moved on, but Legolas actually stepped closer.

"What is it?" Gimli said fearfully. "What do you see?"

"I see shapes of Men," Legolas said as we walked on, "and of horses."

"Where?" Gimli asked.

Legolas didn't answer. "Old banners like shreds of cloud...spears rising, like winter pickings through a shroud of mist."

I shivered. "Legolas, you are beginning to creep me out."

"The dead are following," he said. "They have been summoned."

That was enough to make Gimli stop dead in his tracks. "The dead? Summoned?" I smiled to myself as his voice shot up about two octaves. "...I knew that." He laughed nonchalantly, but fear over took him when we stepped out of sight. "LEGOLAS!" He ran after us.

I turned, and almost screamed. Legolas was being surrounded by a white mist. I ran over and helped him fan it away. "What was that?" I asked, but he did not answer.

Now it overtook Aragorn. "It cannot harm you...but we should not linger." He eyed it warily and continued walking.

I looked down at myself, and my eyes widened once I saw two old, bony, misty hands crawling up my stomach. I batted them away and moved closer to Legolas.

Gimli was having his own troubles with the mist, furiously attempting to blow the stuff away. Had the situation not have been so creepy, I would have laughed. "Gimli" He looked up, and I motioned for him to come. "We must move on."

Not a moment after I had said that, there was a loud crack. We all looked straight at Aragorn, who had a somewhat disgusted look on his face. "Do not look down."

I tensed and took a step forward, hearing a crunch under my own boot. I froze, and despite my cousin's warning, looked at what I had stepped on.

More skulls. And other bones.

My stomach clenched, and I nearly vomited. Instead, I grabbed Legolas's arm and looked up at him. He tried to smile reassuringly, but even he could not withstand the horror of walking on another's bones. I grabbed his hand, and we continued walking. I winced with every step I took.

Finally, we emerged from the skeleton room, into a much bigger area, towering so high that I could just barely see the ceiling. A large pit was off to our right, and to our left, a set of stairs that lead up to what looked like a rotting throne, carved into the wall. We walked around in silence for a moment, taking in our surroundings.

And then, from everywhere and nowhere at the same time, there came a voice so evil and chilling, it shook me to the very core.

_"Who enters my domain?"_

I turned to see the outline of a man appear on the stairs. He wore a great cape and crown, and obviously he was meant to be a king. The only problem was...he was dead. Made of nothing but a green, eerie mist. My jaw dropped. "L...Legolas..." I gripped his hand tighter, taking deep breaths, eyes wide in fear. "That...that's a..."

_"Yes, girl. A ghost. That is what I am." _I shuddered. I could see the inside of his skull. "_Now, I will ask you again. Who enters my domain?"_

By some miracle, Aragorn managed to face him defiantly. "One who will have your allegiance."

_"The dead do not suffer the living to pass," _said the Ghost King.

"You will suffer me!" Aragorn replied.

The King of the Dead cackled, a low, long, and utterly disturbing one. He was answered by a chorus of more taunting laughs, and I turned to see an entire city form out of the green mist, up against the wall above the pit. And from it emerged even more ghosts. Men, women, even ghost children. They flowed out of the city, headed for us, hovering over the pit.

_"The way is shut." _I turned back to face the King. _"It was made by those who are dead. And the __dead keep it." _Even more ghosts formed around him, coming out of the walls, coming out of each other, closing in until we were completely surrounded by the green spirits.

I tensed as the King of the Dead walked toward us, completely terrified at this point. _"The way is shut. Now you must die." _

Legolas whipped out his bow and arrows and fired at the King, but it simply passed right through him, clattering on the ground. I clung to him, praying that Aragorn had some sort of plan. Gimli tightened his grip on his axe.

"I summon you to fulfill your oath!" Aragorn said firmly.

_"None but the King of Gondor may command me!"_

Aragorn held up Anduril in front of his face. The King raised his own sword with a cry and brought it down. I closed my eyes, preparing for the worst. All I heard was a loud clang.

I opened my eyes to see the two blades pressed against each other in midair, and the King of the Dead with a shocked look on his face. Aragorn swung the two weapons down.

_"That blade was broken!" _hissed the King.

Aragorn grabbed him and held the sword up against his throat. "It has been remade." He pushed the King back, sending him stumbling into his companions. He looked around at the crowd. "Fight for us, and regain your honor. What say you?"

I also looked around at them. What if they said no? Could they say no?

My cousin hefted the sword in his hand and walked around, showing any doubters their proof. "What say you?" he said again. No response.

"Don't waste your time, Aragorn!" Gimli warned. "They had no honor in life, they have non now in death."

Aragorn ignored him. "I am Isildur's heir. Fight for us, and I will hold your oaths fulfilled! What say you?" he demanded, looking the King right in the eye. I bit my lip.

The King laughed evilly once more. Some of the ghosts began to fade away.

"You have my word!" Aragorn shouted over the laughter. "Fight, and I will release you from this eternal death! What say you?" Now he sounded desperate. One by one, every ghost disappeared, but still I could not relax. Something was not right.

"Stand, ya traitors!" Gimli cried out. We all looked around wildly, waiting for their next move.

Suddenly, there was a deep rumbling. Rocks, dust, and dirt came falling down from above. I hugged Legolas hard. The ceiling was caving in. They were going to kill us. A few skulls rolled across the ground and stopped near my feet. I pressed my face into his chest so I wouldn't have to look at them.

There was even more cracking, and I lifted my head and turned around one last time to see huge chunks of the wall around the King's throne fall away. Skulls began pouring out of the holes in the wall. I started crying.

"OUT!" Aragorn screamed. Legolas didn't hesitate to pick me up and run, jumping across patches of rocks, over the waterfall of skulls. They swelled up around us, the current pushing us towards the pit. We had to practically swim through the bones. Just barely, we made it out. Legolas set me down, and we started running, but just after he did, a large chunk of rock came crashing down right in front of me, blocking the path. I screamed. Skulls were gushing out of the room behind me like water. Already they began to pile up at my feet.

"Help me!" I tried climbing over the rock, but it was too high, and I could not get a good grip on it. Now the bones were up around my waist. I screamed again. "HELP ME!" More and more bones piled up around me. I was going to drown in skulls. SKULLS. I screamed again, tears streaming down my face. The skulls quickly covered my head, and I saw nothing but hideous, bony faces staring at me.

To my relief, a pair of strong hands finally grabbed my arms through the horrible sea of bones and pulled hard, lifting me out of my ghostly prison. Legolas set me back down on my feet and grabbed my hand, and we took of running. I was still crying, traumatized.

Finally, we stumbled out through a doorway, and back into sweet sunlight. I hadn't realized how much I was shaking until then. Legolas hugged me hard. "Íverin! Are you all right?" I tried to calm myself down, but every time I closed my eyes, I saw nothing but skulls. I shuddered.

When I was able to calm down somewhat, I looked up to see Aragorn staring sadly at a river not too far away. I looked at it as well, and saw several black ships sailing down it. But that was not what troubled me. On either side, there were cities made of stone. They were broken and burning. And I recognized the place immediately. "Osgiliath..." I whispered. "...my...my home..."

Aragorn fell to his knees on the ground. Legolas walked up and put a hand on his shoulder for comfort. I could do nothing but stand there and stare. It had been so long since I had been there. I never thought I would ever see it like this. Tears rose in my eyes as I thought of my father and mother. Especially my father. He would be heartbroken to see his homeland so...so destroyed.

Out of nowhere, there came another great wind. We all turned to see the King of the Dead emerge through the mountainside and out into the broad daylight. I jumped and moved over with Legolas again. Was the skull torture not enough?

He walked up to Aragorn, and finally said the two words I thought I would never hear. _"We fight."_


	22. Battle of the Pelennor Fields

**A/N: Woo! New chapter! We're coming up quickly on the end of this story, guys! But I have a feeling that this won't be the only LotR fanfic I write. I absolutely love this series, so I might either do another story with Íverin and Legolas having some new adventure in Mirkwood, or make up a new OC...possibly a hobbit OC. I dunno. Anyways, happy reading! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but Íverin, I swear! D-don't hurt me... ;A;**

The four of us stood alongside the shore, side by side, waiting. Every second that passed, my heart grew heavier as the flames that had consumed Osgiliath flickered in the distance. After what seemed like an eternity, the group of black corsair ships finally made their way up to where we stood, their sleek hulls slowly cutting through the water. Each one of them was filled with a dirty, filthy looking crew of cold-hearted men.

"You may go no further!" Aragorn commanded loudly. "You will not enter Gondor."

The pirates, upon seeing us and hearing Aragorn's voice, laughed harshly at us. One man, who I presumed to be the captain, strode to the edge of the boat and glared at him. "Who are you to deny us passage?"

"Legolas! Fire a warning shot past the bosun's ear." The blonde prince quickly drew his bow.

"Mind your aim!" Gimli whispered. At the last second, he nudged the bow with his axe, bumping Legolas's arrow slightly off course. The sleek shaft of wood drilled deep into the bosun's chest, and with a yelp of pain, the man fell over dead.

Gimli gasped and covered his mouth in fake shock. The rest of us shot him a glare, but he continued on with his act. "That's right, we warned ya! Prepare to be boarded!"

The pirates laughed again, especially the captain. "Boarded? By you and whose army?"

Aragorn gave him a confident smirk. "This army."

From behind us, the ghosts emerged from their invisible forms and charged forward with great battle cries, passing through us, and easily overwhelming the crew on board. They screamed in terror, much to our pleasure. As our new friends did their job, I noticed the captain scurry off towards his cabin in the back of the ship, equally terrified as the rest of his men. I quickly backed up, took a running jump, and safely grabbed onto the railing of the boat, easily lifting myself over. Since the ghosts were keeping all the others at bay, I had no trouble sauntering across the deck in his direction.

I pivoted on my right foot and gave the door to his cabin a good, solid roundhouse kick, then another, popping it open. I stepped inside and walked coolly over to the captain, who was busy cowering in the corner, and pressed the tip of my sword to his back. "What are you, afraid of ghosts?" Not giving him a chance to respond, I plunged the blade into his flesh, then removed it. "You should be more afraid of me." He dropped lifelessly to the floor. I wiped my bloody knife on his jacket and walked out.

When I emerged back onto the deck, I watched as he ghosts dispersed and moved on to the next boat, then the next one, and the next. Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli had climbed aboard also, and I smiled when I saw them, sheathing my sword. "That was easy."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

As soon as we had all the boats under control, we set to work on continuing the scheduled course. As we drew closer to our destination, I sat down on one of the crates and stared out at the horizon at the sparkling White City in the distance, with smoke floating up from the Pelennor Fields around it.

I must have looked as distressed as I felt, because after awhile, Legolas came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. "You do not need to worry about going back there, Íverin. You will be fine."

I sighed. "I believe that...somewhat, but...I just...I don't know if I can bear to walk in the streets of Minas Tirith again. I feel so out of place."

He drew up his own crate and sat next to me. "Whatever happens, I assure you I will not let them take you away. Not while I am there, at least."

I smiled. "Thank you. But I fear that they would not even listen to a prince like yourself when it comes to me. Perhaps if I stay out of sight of the officials and the steward, Denethor, I will be alright. But one can never be sure."

Just then, Aragorn hissed a command for us to get down. We were approaching our stop, and a large group of Orcs was there to greet us. The ghosts immediately hid themselves with invisibility, and Legolas gave my hand a reassuring squeeze before we jumped off our crates and crawled over to the edge of the boat with Aragorn, who was crouching, sword in hand. "Be prepared to jump," he whispered.

A moment later, one of the Orcs from the shore spoke up. "Late! As usual!"

"Pirate scum!" shouted another.

"There's enough work that need doing!" Still, we waited.

"Come on, ya sea rats! Get off your ship!"

"Now!" With a grunt, Aragorn jumped off the side of the ship and landed on his feet, followed by myself, Gimli, and Legolas. I unsheathed my sword. The Orcs looked shocked for a moment, but that was quickly replaced by malicious smirks. They could take down four of us easily. But we all strode confidently forward, knowing that they had fallen for the same trap that the pirates had.

"Are we still keeping that counting game going?" I asked Gimli.

He nodded. "There's plenty for the both of us, and may the best Dwarf win!"

With that, the ghost army proceeded to reveal themselves, much to the terror of the Orcs. I ran forward, hitting the first one I saw with a deadly blow to the shoulder, and then sliced off the arm of another one. Ghosts were pouring into the city around me, a blur of green as they passed. Their speed was simply incredible. Hearing a growl behind me, I jerked my arm back, catching one in the face with my elbow, then spun on my heel and hit him in the neck with my sword. I continued on, cutting through the Orcs with a passion I'd never felt in myself before.

As I spun and slashed across the stomachs of two of the mangy beasts, Gimli called for me. "Íverin! How many?"

Despite the horrible warfare surrounding me, I smiled. "Twenty-nine...make that thirty!" I replied as I stuck my blade into another's gut.

"Ah! I'm only on a dozen!"

"I am beating both of you!" Legolas said from somewhere nearby. "Thirty-eight!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aragorn bring another Orc down. "Gentlemen!...and lady! Can we please focus?"

I took his advice and returned to killing, swinging my blade up high and bringing it down hard on the shoulder of another. I pushed even harder through the broken stone city, glad for the fighting, as it was a distraction from thinking about my parents and how my hometown was falling apart.

When we finally managed to take down the greeting party, I stepped up onto a large chunk of fallen stone to observe the battle, and my jaw dropped in shock at what I saw. Minas Tirith burned badly. Huge sections of the white walls were shattered and missing, and the light of the day brought to my eyes the huge, flaming rocks that were scattered throughout its streets.

The Pelennor Fields were no better. Much of the grass was charred and burnt. Smoke and dust was being blown everywhere. Bodies, and corpses of both noble Men and foul Orcs and other beasts littered the ground. Several huge Oliphaunts, towering at least fifty feet high, were rampaging across the plains. I was shocked. I had not even imagined that the damage would be this bad.

I looked over at my companions, who had equally horrified looks on their faces. I cleared my throat, drawing their eyes towards me. "...We've got a lot of work to do." With that, I hefted my sword, checked to make sure I still had a full quiver of arrows, and jumped down, running off into the embrace of death.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The Battle of the Pelennor was by far the worst one I had ever been in, or even seen for that matter. Legolas and I managed to stay fairly close together through the massacre, though it was indeed a tough thing to do. Orcs came at me from all sides, many of them coming very close to killing me.

One Orc in particular gave me some trouble. It started with me swinging my blade up to behead him, but he brought his up to meet mine, and viciously shoved me back. I stumbled, but quickly regained my balance, and ran at him again, this time trying to nick him on the side. Again he dodged my blow. I growled in frustration . I shifted my sword into my right hand, tensed my muscles, and ran at him again. The Orc scowled and darted to the left.

Just as I had hoped for. Moving as fast as I could, I shifted my weight and used my momentum to follow him, then switched my sword over to my left hand, twisted right slightly, and slashed down, smiling as I heard my enemy's roar of displeasure as blade met flesh.

Once he was gone, I paused for a split second to catch my breath, but suddenly, a huge Orc tackled me from behind, knocking me down. I winced as my chin scraped the rough ground, and a flash of pain burst in my left shoulder. His weight was crushing me, but I still was able to grab my knife and stab him in the side, over and over again. Finally, he went limp and fell off of me. I stood up and touched my chin, cursing when I pulled my fingers back to find them sticky with blood.

I sensed another enemy approaching from behind, and turned to see two men of the Haradrim army advancing towards me. I quickly fit an arrow to my bow and shot one down. The other one narrowed his eyes and threw a knife directly at my head. I ducked, narrowly missing the blow, and shot him as well.

I started running around on the fields, shooting at any enemy that came within sight. "Eighty-four...eighty-five...eighty-six..." I turned around, and almost screamed when I saw another warrior from the south standing directly behind be, raising a knife to stab me. On instinct, I ducked, and wrapped my arms around his legs, and with a cry he fell over. Placing a boot atop his chest, I pinned him down and slit his throat.

With my sword still out, I decided to go back to close combat. I slung my bow across my back again and met the first Orc I saw with a punch to the face, and a slice across the stomach. Another charged at me, and there was a clash as my weapon collided with his, but I quickly gained the upper hand by bringing my knee up and hitting him in his most vulnerable spot. He whimpered and fell to the ground.

I smirked. "One of the many wonderful things about being a girl," I said before I stuck a blade in his gut.

Suddenly, there was a shout, then a sharp _twang_, and a cry of pain from just behind me. I turned around to see an Orc standing over me, with an arrow embedded into the side of his head. I quickly pushed him down and ran over to Legolas, my savior. "Thank you," I said.

He smiled. "Not a problem."

From several feet away, Aragorn called for him. "Legolas!"

We both looked up to see a giant Oliphaunt headed our way, carrying a huge wooden tower filled with Haradrim men on its back, its great tusks sweeping across the grass, flinging Men everywhere. "Take it down!" Aragorn cried.

Legolas made a move to do so, but I grabbed him arm to stop him. "You might need some help with that," I said with a smile. He nodded, and we ran towards it side by side.

Legolas smoothly jumped on to one of the beast's huge tusks, and swung down, now standing on the spiked bands around its ankle. I went a different route by climbing onto its other tusk, and quickly running across it and up onto the head of the Oliphaunt when it reared its head back to emit a ferocious roar. I got my feet under me on the much smaller side-tusk sticking out of its skin, and jumped, holding on to the creature's large ear, which was almost as big as me. Not only did it give me a way to climb on the Oliphaunt's back, it also hid me from the Haradrim archers riding on top of it.

But to my dismay, the beast began swinging its head around quite a bit, and I struggled to keep my grip on its ear while being jerked around in midair. Looking around desperately for something to put my feet on to, I noticed a thick metal ring that served as a connector between a large leather harness and a rope that tied the harness to the Oliphaunt's body. Swinging my legs, I flew off of the ear and landed on the ring, now clinging to the leather strap tightly and pressing my body to the animal to try and hide myself from the Men. After looking around for a moment, I saw Legolas climbing up the side of the huge beast.

From above me, the men started shouting to one another. I looked up to see a couple of them reaching for their bows and looking right at me. I had been spotted.

I silently cursed myself. But perhaps that could be a good thing. I could buy Legolas some time. However, that meant that I was now on my own to keep myself from getting killed. How wonderful.

Not knowing what else to do, I whipped out my knife and plunged it deep into the Oliphant's shoulder, piercing its thick hide. With all my strength, I dragged the blade down, carving a deep gash into it. The Oliphaunt roared in pain.

Two arrows flew narrowly past my head, just barely missing because of the Oliphaunt's walking swaying me back and forth. I did not dare to look back at Legolas, or cry out for help. That would expose both of us. I decided that the best thing to do was climb, and try and start taking down the warriors shooting at me.

That did not go so well.

I had gotten about two feet from my starting position when I felt it. An arrow lodged itself into my right shoulder, tearing through flesh. As much as I tried to stop it, a strangled cry of pain escaped my lips. I clung desperately to the Oliphaunt's harness, biting my lip in pain. My shoulder burned. Blood seeped from the wound and trailed down my shirt.

I looked up and locked eyes with Legolas. He had heard me cry out, and had stopped climbing, his blue eyes filled with fear and worry for me. The Haradrim must have assumed that they had killed me, for the shooting ceased.

I blinked and looked down at the passing ground below me. It would be so easy to just let go and fall...embrace the pain...and not have to deal with any of this anymore.

But that was the easy way out. That was failure. And failure, for me, is never an option. I could not let myself fall. I mustn't falter now. So I reached up with what strength I had left in my right arm, and carefully snapped the arrow in half, wincing in pain as the arrowhead moved inside of me. The shorter the shaft, the less it would get in my way.

I set my jaw and looked back at Legolas. _"Keep going," _I mouthed. _"I will be fine." _He nodded and continued climbing, but the worry was still present on his face.

With all the strength I had left in me, I slowly resumed climbing up the harness. Every time I moved my right arm, pain shocked me, but I gritted my teeth and ignored it as best as I could. Once I got to the to of the Oliphaunt, I unsheathed my sword with my good hand and took down two of the men. The others looked surprised to see me, and fumbled with their knives, giving me the split second I needed to easily get rid of three more.

By this point, Legolas had also made it onto the beast's back, and was shooting as many enemies as he could, counting as he went. "Ninety-three...ninety-four.."

I stuck my knife into a man's leg, and he tumbled to the ground. "Legolas!" I shouted. "What exactly do you plan on doing?"

He pushed another warrior off the Oliphaunt. "This!" With that, he grabbed onto a thick rope that was nearby and jumped, swinging down. I remained on the Oliphaunt, but followed him, pushing my opponents out of my way. After giving a few solid punches to a few, I looked down and gasped. Legolas was dangling from the end of the rope, struggling to hang on, and desperately trying to find something else to grab on to. "Legolas!" I screamed. "Don't you dare let go!" I jerked back and socked another Haradrim fighter in the gut, sending him flying. Another tried to shoot Legolas, and I quickly pushed him off as well.

"Not planning on it!" Legolas responded, but he sounded strained.

I turned around and whipped out my sword again, stabbing another man. Suddenly, I jerked forward, and the entire tower began to slide away, taking me with it.

"Íverin!" Legolas shouted.

I killed off one last warrior, then turned back towards Legolas and jumped, just as the tower fell off of the Oliphaunt, with the remaining men on it screaming in terror. Legolas let the tower pull himself up, and then finally let go of the rope once he had gained his footing, now standing proudly on the animal's back. He caught me as I landed in front of him.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

A sudden roar filled the air, and I shook my head, remembering that we had not defeated our opponent quite yet. "Not now! Finish the job!" I said.

He nodded, and we ran up onto the beast's neck, standing just behind its head. Legolas whipped out three arrows and shot them down into the monster, while I plunged my sword deep into its skull. That was the final blow. The Oliphaunt roared in pain and stumbled once, then fell. Legolas grabbed my hand, and together we slid down the trunk of the fallen beast, landing expertly on our feet. There we stood, catching out breath. My heart raced, and I turned to face him.

Gimli walked up after witnessing our stunt. "That still only counts as one!" he said.

But Legolas ignored him, now fully focused on me. "Are you all right?" he asked again.

I winced and shook my head, drawing my hand up to my wound. That last bit of fighting had not done me well.

Gimli's mouth dropped in shock as he noticed my wound. "Aye, lassie! What happened to ya?"

"Let me see it," Legolas said firmly. Knowing it would be foolish to resist him, I dropped my hand, breathing hard.

From a few feet away, I heard Aragorn shouted a warning. "Legolas!"

Out of nowhere, a massive force slammed into me, knocking me down. I felt an iron-clad fist dig deep into my stomach, and, weak as I was, fell back. There was a loud bang as my head connected with the thick metal helmet of a fallen Orc, and the world started spinning before my eyes. An Orc grinned, leaning over me, blade drawn, about to end my life for good. I could not fight back. I couldn't ever breathe at the moment. Faintly, I heard shouts from behind my attacker, and two seconds later, a golden-feathered arrow hit him in the back. He grunted and fell to the ground, dead.

With the weight of the Orc now lifted off of me, I gasped, then coughed fiercely, sucking in air, but the dizziness did not go away. Pain now racked my body. I weakly lifted my head to see Legolas run over and grab my arms as I tried to sit up. His lips moved, but I heard no sound. Aragorn came up behind him...and then Gimli...

I blinked slowly, hearing nothing but the pounding of my own heartbeat loud in my ears, bringing pain with every pulse. This was too much. But I could not fall...not now...I could not...falter...


	23. Recovery

**A/N: Mwahaha I'm so mean to my characters. :D If Íverin was real, I'm sure she'd kill me for all the hell I've put her through. But enough of that! Get reading! **

**Disclaimer: The only thing I own is Íverin! Now can we please put away the tar and feathers?**

**Mob: * grumbles as they walk away* **

I faded in and out of consciousness for awhile. Every now and again, I could hear faint voices, and feel the brief shock of pain. I never opened my eyes, though, for I was simply too exhausted to even lift a finger. I could not remember much, save for a few words and phrases spoken by whoever was around me at the time, such as "...dangerously close...miraculous victory...Mordor...should be able to..." and something about "not leaving without me." To be truthful, none of it made much sense to me, and at the time I did not wish to try and decipher it. I did not recognize any of the voices, save for Aragorn's at one point.

After what felt like wandering aimlessly in an eternal blackness, I came back to my senses. I felt the weight of my body, and the touch of cool, thin blankets. I took a deep breath, rejuvenated by the fresh air that filled my lungs, and opened my eyes. I was in a small room, made of white stone. Bright moonlight filled the room from a tall window to my right. For a few moments, I simply laid there, not moving a muscle, simply enjoying the feeling of being awake. Loose, simple thoughts ran through my head. I wondered where I was, and how I had gotten here. How long had I been sleeping? What time was it?

Finally, I decided to try and sit up. My whole body felt stiff, with every muscle aching as I sat up a bit on my elbows. A dull pain throbbed in my shoulder, and I looked down at it to see it wrapped tightly in white bandages. In fact, my clothes had been replaced as well. I was now wearing a gray cotton, puffy shirt, and long brown pants. My old clothes were folded neatly in a pile on the small table next to my bed. I looked over at them, and then saw my sword leaning against the wall.

Suddenly, I remembered everything. The battle on the Pelennor. The Oliphaunt. Being shot...

I stared at my sword. "I...I'm alive..."

"And what a surprising recovery you've made." I jumped at the sound of a voice that was not my own, and saw a man standing in the doorway with red hair and a scruffy beard and mustache, and pale blue eyes. He was of average height, and looked very young. He was dressed in very noble-looking clothes. "Forgive me if I startled you, miss. I just came to see how you were doing."

"It is not a problem, I assure you," I said. "But, if I may ask, where am I, and what time is it, and who are you?"

"You are in the Houses of Healing, in Minas Tirith, my lady. It is...about nine o'clock in the evening, and as for me, I am Captain Faramir."

I tensed. Faramir. He was Lord Denethor's son. I desperately hoped that he had not seen my ears. "L-Lord Faramir! I...I uh..."

He must have caught the worried look in my eye, for he smiled a bit. "There is no need to worry, Lady Íverin. I know who you are."

I watched as he stepped closer to the bedside. "You remember me."

"But of course!" he chuckled softly. "You cannot possibly think that I had forgotten about you."

I sighed in defeat and looked down. "I am so sorry for intruding. I know that I have not the permission to be here, and...if you plan to execute me, then...so be it." I self-consciously reached up and touched my ear.

Faramir sat down on the bed beside me and smiled wider. "Why do you think that?"

"They are your father's orders."

He sighed sadly. "My father...is no more. His orders mean nothing."

I frowned, confused. "But...why? I don't understand."

"I do not have the heart to tell you at the moment. All you need to know is this: I, Faramir, am now Steward of Gondor, and I have lifted your banishment."

My jaw dropped. "Really? You...you really mean that?"

He looked at me and smiled. "I would never lie to you." Slowly, Faramir reached up and tucked my hair behind my ears. "There is no reason for you to hide anymore." He looked at me a moment longer.

Suddenly, there came a quiet mumble, and the sound of moving blankets. I looked over to a corner shrouded in shadow and saw a lump turn about in a large armchair. The lump turned over, and my heart swelled when I saw the face of Legolas, sound asleep.

I gasped softly. I had forgotten about him in the midst of my recovery. I remembered the look on his face when he saw me get shot, and when I had fallen. He must've been worried sick about me all this time.

I realized that Faramir was still sitting beside me, and turned to him. He looked...disappointed. I glanced back over at Legolas.

Faramir smiled, but not wholeheartedly. "I understand. I will not separate you from whom you truly love." He stood up, and I sat up a bit more, leaning back against the wall. "Would you like me to wake him?"

I looked at the sleeping blonde again. Normally, I would not want to disturb him. He needed rest as much as I did, and I did not want to deprive him of that. But...I wanted to be held my him again. I wanted to see his smile and hear his voice. More than anything. So I nodded. "Yes. Yes, please do."

The young captain nodded and went over to him, bending down a bit and gently shaking his shoulder. "Master Legolas."

The elven prince stirred and slowly opened his eyes for a moment, but then closed them again. "Mmm...yes, Lord Faramir?"

Faramir removed his hand and stepped back. "Your friend...she is awake."

Before he even finished speaking, Legolas's eyes shot open and found mine. They looked as wonderfully blue and bright as ever. I smiled weakly. "Hello, _n__î__n herma,_" I said quietly.

He practically jumped out of the chair and ran over to me, kissing me before I could say anything else, and lifted me off of the bed, cradling me in his arms. "Íverin..._Cala_...oh Íverin, I thought I had lost you..." He hugged me hard, pulling me close to his chest.

I returned the embrace as best as I could. "You do not have to worry about me anymore, Legolas. I am okay."

He smiled and kissed me again. "You have no idea how happy I am now that I know you are safe," he whispered.

"I love you, Legolas."

"I love you too, _Cala. _So, so much."

I looked at him. "How long was I asleep?"

"Too long," he said. "Hours. The healers were tending to you all day long, and they would not let me see you. Honestly, I am not supposed to be in here right now, but...I could not sleep without seeing you safe and alive."

I smiled. "How long were you in here with me?"

"Ever since this afternoon. Aragorn came to see you, too, and we...we thought you were gone."

"But I am not," I reassured him.

He smiled again. "I know that now, Íverin."

A wave of fatigue suddenly passed over me, and I blinked slowly. I also noticed that Faramir had left the room. "Forgive me, Legolas," I said, "but I am still quite tired. May I rest a bit more?"

Legolas immediately laid me back down on the bed and laid next to me. "Of course. Anything to help you recover, my love."

I yawned as soon as my head touched the pillow, and snuggled close to Legolas. My eyelids drooped. "I love you, Legolas. I will never be able to tell you that enough."

He lightly kissed the top of my head and hugged me again. "I love you too, Íverin."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The next morning, I awoke to find that Legolas was still asleep next to me, with his arm loosely draped over my side, his fingers brushing my stomach. Very carefully, I slid out from underneath his warm embrace and went to dress myself for the day. Eventually, I decided on a black dress with white trim at the bottom, and sleeves that were tight around my upper arms and expanded out at the elbows, with white trim at the cuffs of those as well. Pearls formed a delicate belt around my hips and were dotted along the neckline. With my hair drawn back into a ponytail that hung over my right shoulder, I felt like a true Gondorian woman. If only my father could see me now...

I slipped on a pair of black slippers and planted one last kiss on Legolas's forehead before leaving the room. Once I was in the main hall of the Houses of Healing, I stood for a moment, watching the healer women bustle about the room, trying to save as many dying soldiers as they could. I looked over them all sadly, and briefly glanced down at my own wound. I hoped that they would be able to save as many lives as possible. Large cots were everywhere in the room, bearing soldiers that were badly wounded, some already dead. Those that had passed on were being taken out of the room, replaced almost instantly by more men that had been recently found on the battlefield.

As I swept my gaze across the room, a flash of sandy blonde hair caught my eye. I tried to get a better look at the fallen soldier, but from my current position, I could not see him with all of the other people moving about the room. I worked my way through the crowd a bit, and froze when I recognized the pale face of Merry, lying on a cot across the room, eyes closed. Pippin was standing my his side, with his back to me. I squeezed through the limited space I had and worked my way over to them, bending down next to my redheaded friend. "Pippin..."

The poor hobbit looked up at me with tears in his eyes, and gave me a hug. "Oh, Íverin! Look at Merry! Look at him! He...he's dying!"

I hugged him back. "Wait, Pippin. Let me look at him for a moment." The young halfling let me go, and I turned to examine Merry. His face was pinched in pain, and there was blood seeping through his shirt. I peeled back the fabric to see a nasty wound on his left side, still bleeding steadily. "Get me some sort of cloth," I said to Pippin. He obeyed, and a few seconds later I was able to press the fabric against his cut, hoping to stop the bleeding a bit. My skills in healing were very limited, and I looked around wildly for someone who could help Merry, but all of the other healers were busy. It was then that I saw another familiar face nearby. "Aragorn!" I cried.

His head snapped up upon hearing my voice, and as soon as he saw me, he ran up and hugged me hard. "My cousin! You are well!"

I smiled a bit. "Yes, Estel, I am well. But Merry is not." I flipped the cloth over to the clean side and pressed it over his side again. "He needs medicine, and quickly!"

Aragorn nodded. "Stay here, and keep that against the cut." He went to find medicines for Merry, and I was left with Pippin, who was crying openly now.

"Pippin, you need not weep. He is not dead."

"B-but he is so close! Merry...he is so close to death!" he said shakily.

I sighed and looked back at the brave hobbit. He was, in truth, dangerously close to dying, but of course I was not going to tell Pippin that. "We must wait. Aragorn will return soon, I am sure. Do not lose hope just yet."

Pippin nodded, and we stood beside the cot in silence for a bit until Aragorn returned with a fistful of the athelas plant and a bowl of hot water. "Move," he commanded. He crushed some the plant in his hands and sprinkled it into the water, which caused a sweet-smelling, very potent steam to rise from the bowl. Taking the rest of the athelas, Aragorn dipped a few leaves of it in the water, and then pressed them into Merry's open wound. I found another clean cloth and dipped it into the warm water, beginning to clean up the blood that had stained his flesh and clothes.

Aragorn set the bowl next to Merry's head, and took some of the water in his hands, making them damp. He then pressed his hands to the hobbit's face, and whispered something so soft that I could barely hear it. _"Tolo hi, Meriadoc. Ná Elbereth veria le, ná elenath dín síla erin rád o chuil lín _(Come now, Meriadoc. May Elbereth be with you, may her stars shine on the path of your life)." He removed his hands from Merry's face and stepped back.

A moment later, the hobbit's eyes fluttered open, and he coughed, gasping for air. After he had calmed down a bit, he looked from myself, to Aragorn, and then to Pippin. Pippin began to cry again and tackled his old friend in a bear hug. Merry winced in pain a bit, but returned the hug. After Pippin finally released him, he spoke. "How...how am I alive?"

I smiled. "By the healing skill of Aragorn." The Ranger smiled modestly.

Merry looked up at him. "Thank you, Aragorn. Very much. I thought I had died."

"You are a very strong hobbit, Master Merry. And quite a fighter, from what Lady Éowyn has told me."

His eyes widened. "Lady Éowyn! Where is she? Is she hurt?"

"She is alright, of that I can assure you. I just tended to her not too long ago. Both of you fought bravely." He then turned to face me. "But you...my cousin...you scared us all half to death. Are you sure that you are well?"

"I am fine, Aragorn," I said. "'Tis nothing more than a flesh wound."

Aragorn smiled and he hugged me again. "I cannot tell you how much I am glad to see your smiling face again. I assume you talked to Legolas already?"

"Of course. He is still sleeping, in fact," I giggled. "He must've been exhausted. Was he hurt at all?"

Aragorn glanced at the two hobbits standing nearby in the midst of a happy reunion. "Perhaps we should let them be, and continue our conversation elsewhere." I nodded, and together we strode through the Houses of Healing, heading back to my private room. "He was not hurt, but very tired, I'd imagine. He never left your side, Íverin. He was so worried about you. I actually had to threaten him to get him to go to sleep."

I laughed a bit. "Sounds just like him." We reached the door and slipped inside. "And what about you? Are you alright?"

"I am fine, thank you," Aragorn said. "Nothing more than a few minor cuts and scrapes."

I walked over to the bed. Legolas was still sound asleep, in the same position as I had left him. I remembered what Faramir had said to me the night before, and turned to my cousin excitedly. "Aragorn, you'll never guess what happened! Faramir lifted my banishment!"

"That is wonderful news," he said. "I am happy for you."

I sighed and looked out the window at the White City. We were on the seventh level of the City, as high as you could go, and everything looked absolutely beautiful. "I want to explore it so badly...but I do not want Legolas to worry if he wakes and discovers me missing."

"You go," Aragorn said. "I will wait for him."

"Oh Aragorn, you don't have to do that."

"Please," my cousin insisted. "Go have fun while you can."

I was about to argue, but a smile appeared on my face, and I ran over and gave him a quick hug. "Thank you," I whispered, and ran off.

For the rest of the day, I had the time of my life running around in the streets of Minas Tirith, visiting as many shops, markets, and other public facilities as I could. I felt like a small child again, finally accepted and loved back in my own home. It was the most fun I'd had in a long while, simply running around and not having a care in the world. I met several people who happened to be descendants of people who had known my father very well, even a few of my old family members whom I had never met. The whole day was just magnificent, and I fell in love with Gondor, drawn to the sparkle of the marble city in the sunlight.

I could've easily spent the entire evening wandering around my new favorite place in the world, but Aragorn finally found me again while I was looking at a beautiful sapphire necklace in one of the markets on the fifth level. "Ah, there you are! Faramir was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, the hobbits, him, and myself."

I smiled. "That sounds good to me!" I put the necklace back down on the table, and Aragorn and I walked back up to the seventh level. We talked and laughed the whole way, and I never once stopped smiling. As we emerged onto the top level and started heading towards the Gondorian palace, I realized how happy I was here. Everything was just absolutely amazing. The only thing that could've made it better was...

As if on cue, the huge double doors leading inside burst open, and Legolas came flying out, running down the stairs and across the grass to quickly meet up with us. Or rather, me. He wrapped me in a hug. "Íverin! How are you?"

I laughed. "Right now, I'm the happiest person in the world. And you?"

"Well, I am doing much better, now that I know you are safe." He planted a soft kiss on my hands, and the three of us walked inside. Upon entry, I saw that a large table was set up for all eight of us, with large platters of steaming food on the table. Gimli and Gandalf were already seated at the table, and Faramir walked in from another room with several bottles of fine wine. He looked up at me as we came in, and I caught his gaze for a split second before looking away. We took our seats, with Faramir at the head of the table, then Aragorn, myself, and Legolas on one side, Gimli at the end, and Gandalf on the other, with two more seats available for Merry and Pippin. Once we sat down, I reached for Legolas's hand, and he gladly took it.

"Íverin!" Gandalf smiled. "I was wondering when I might see you again."

"Aye, lass!" Gimli said. "Ya gave us all quite the scare yesterday!"

I laughed. "You needn't worry about me, I promise. I am healing."

"That is good to hear," replied Gandalf. He then looked up at Faramir, who had set the wine on the table, and was now seating himself. "Well then! Shall we begin our victory feast?"

Faramir looked around the room. "I would love to, if we were not missing two of our guests."

Suddenly, there came a faint shout from another hallway, and not a moment later, Merry and Pippin came running into the room, arriving at the table in a huff. "S...sorry we're late...Master Faramir...came as fast...as we could..." Pippin breathed.

I smiled at them. "Started running as soon as you heard there was food, did you?" Aragorn and Gandalf chuckled.

Merry smiled as he sat down. "But of course! You know we...wouldn't pass up a good meal for anything!"

"And now that we are all here, let our dinner begin!" Faramir exclaimed. Within a few minutes, we had passed around all the different meats and fruits, everyone had gotten a full glass of wine, and we were laughing and enjoying ourselves. It was actually quite nice, for not once did anyone bring up the subject of battle, or Sauron, or the Ring, or anything evil. We mainly all talked about our homelands and families, and old memories we had of each other, and for once, it seemed like the quest had just been put on hold. Like we were all here just as friends getting together, and not guests in a town recovering from a severe battle.

Almost two hours later, when we were all finishing the last of the food, I smiled and said, "You know...this has been the best day of my life so far. You all are amazing. Thank you so much for planning this, it really was a wonderful treat."

"Don't thank us," said Gandalf, "thank Faramir! He was the one who set up this whole ordeal, and I must say, I agree with you, Íverin. This has been very fun."

I looked over at the young man. "Then thank you, Captain Faramir."

"Please, do not call me 'captain.' Just call me Faramir," he smiled.

I returned the smile, but I could not help but feel uncomfortable in his presence. "Thank you...Faramir." He smiled at me for a moment longer. I turned away, hoping that I had not made the situation even more awkward, and sighed. "Well, gentlemen, I believe it is time for me to retire to my room for the night. If anyone needs me, you know where I am." I stood.

Legolas stood with me. "I will walk you back," he said. The two of us took each other's hand again, and quickly left the room, heading back to mine.

Once we were inside, with the door shut behind us, I smiled at my prince and kissed him. "Have I told you that I love you today?"

"Actually, you have not," he said, but when I looked back at him, he seemed...different. Saddened, somehow.

"Then I love you." I kissed him again. Whatever it was, I would talk to him about it in the morning. "Good night, my love."

"Good night, _Cala." _Legolas quietly left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I sat down on my bed and sighed. I could see that Faramir had grown fond of me. That much was obvious. I just hoped that having Legolas around would let him know that I did not return those feelings. I would hate to have to tell him that face to face.

I quickly stripped out of my black dress and grabbed a silken nightgown before heading into the bathroom to wash up. As I sat in the warm tub, I thought about tomorrow. We had defeated Sauron's army, yes, but not the enemy himself. Was there anything more we could do? It seemed like it was all up to Frodo and Sam now.

Once I was done bathing, I redressed and laid down in my bed, staring out the window at the starry sky. I did not like the feeling that I would have to wait and see what happened. I wanted to do something else. I wanted to take action. I had been taking action for several months now, so often that it was like a habit of mine. My veins were filled with the blood of an adventurer now. I could not just sit back and watch things happen as I once did.

My eyes dropped south a little, and I looked at the jagged black line in the sky that was the edge of Mordor, with the bright red glow surrounding it. And what if we eventually won? Where would I go? Back to Rivendell, I suppose, but I didn't want to leave Legolas, and I'm sure he did not wish to leave his home in Mirkwood, either. Perhaps I could move to Lothlórien. That would be a bit closer to him, and not too far away from Rivendell, from Aragorn, Arwen, Elrond, the twins...

My mind drifted off to another topic. What about Aragorn? Where would he go? I had always thought that he would return to Rivendell with me, but now...that does not seem quite as likely. He was the true heir to Gondor's throne. Maybe he would remain here, and finally claim his title. Or maybe he would go back out into the Wild again, like he had done before. But I did not want to leave him behind, either.

I sighed as my eyelids drooped down. I would have to figure all this out soon, that much was certain. But for now, perhaps I should just focus on enjoying my stay in Minas Tirith.


	24. Failure of Love

**A/N: Another chapter down, and...like, 17 billion more to go. Lol jk, I'd say about five..ish. And then a prologue. And then an entirely new story, of which I've already got an idea for. :D Aren't you excited? Cause I am! :DDDD Oh, and yes, I did make Faramir have a bit of a crush on Íverin. But don't worry, that's not gonna screw anything up. Íverin's no whore, she's not gonna cheat on Legolas. :3 **

**On another note, I actually had a dream about this story yesterday night, guys. O_O That probably means that I'm obsessing over this too much, but whatever. Oh! And did any of you see the trailer for "The Hobbit" yet? I saw it on YouTube this morning (it actually made me late to school lol), and it looks so epic! I can't wait until it premiers next year! **

**Anyway, on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings, I only own Íverin, her background, and...that's it. Good? Good.**

A great flash of lightning is what brought me to my senses. I opened my eyes and lifted my head to find myself lying on a hard, dirty, rocky surface, in a very dark, ominous place. Standing, I saw nothing but rock, and black, jagged mountains in the distance. Black clouds crashed and boomed overhead, and more lightning shot down through the sky, but no rain fell. The entire place reeked of evil.

From behind me, I heard a cry for help. I whipped around, but saw nothing except the edge of a cliff, dropping off to reveal a vast sea of scalding, bubbling lava far below. Then I heard it again, louder, and clearer this time. "Help! Please!"

By now, I heard that voice all too well. I ran to the cliff's edge, looked down, and of course, there was Legolas, dangling precariously over the edge. I gasped. "What in the world are you doing down there?"

He looked up, relieved to see me. "Do not ask! Just help me up!"

I nodded, and was about to reach down, when there came a ferocious roar from behind me. I turned and screamed, for a Fell Beast had landed in front of me, bearing no rider, but still a deadly threat. It charged at me, and I ran to the side, ducking as it swept its great wings over my head. I looked back at the cliff's edge. Right. I had to save Legolas. But it might be easier if there wasn't a huge monster in my way.

On instinct, I reached for my sword, but looked down in shock when I realized that it wasn't there. I was still in my nightclothes. Cursing, I decided to try and take it down the old fashioned way. With speed and agility that only an elf could have, I jumped over the beast's tail and ran up its back, getting all the way up to its neck. Not knowing what else to do, I grabbed onto the large head of the thing and started to repeatedly punch it in the face. It roared in fury and pain, and tried to shake me off. I held on and kept at it.

"Íverin!" Legolas cried. "A little help, here!"

"Hold...on...a second!" I replied. The beast was weakened, I knew, but I also knew that this would not kill it. I'd have to do that another way. Maybe I could push it off the edge...no wait, it has wings. Maybe I could try to strangle it...but that would be stupid, I'd never win that way. Maybe-

My thoughts were interrupted by a loud crack. A huge flash of lightning landed in the ground not two feet in front of me. I screamed and let go of the Fell Beast, falling to the ground on my back. Not suffering too hard of a landing, I got back on my feet, and my enemy flew away. I watched it go, smirking. That takes care of that.

But I had no time to gloat. For a second later, I heard a loud crack, then another, and another. I looked down to see a huge crack working its way through the ground of the cliff that I was standing on, and jumped to the safe side, just as it fell away.

And then I remembered. Legolas was still on that.

"NO!" I screamed. I darted towards the breaking rock in one last desperate attempt to save him, but I was too late. The ground crumbled and fell away, and I could only watch in horror as it fell down into the blistering hot lava, carrying my beloved Legolas with it. His horrified screams rung in my ears. After it disappeared with a faint _splash, _I stood and wiped my eyes. This was just a dream. He had not died. It was just a dream. Now I just had to figure out how to get out of this horrible nightmare.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around to see Aragorn walking towards me. I ran up to him and hugged him hard. "Aragorn! Why are you here, too?" I tried to calm my shaking voice.

To my surprise, my cousin smiled. "He didn't make it, Íverin."

I looked up into his eyes, and gasped. They were no longer that hard, but welcoming blue-grey that I had always known them for. Now they were a fiery red, filled with hate and evil. "A-Aragorn? What..."

"You know of what I speak." He pointed behind me, and I turned to see the broken cliff side. "Your beloved elf-friend. He fell."

I tensed, and tears filled my eyes. "Stop it. None of this is real. You know it!" My voice broke, and images of the horrified look that must've been on Legolas's face as he fell filled my mind.

"You failed him, Íverin," Aragorn hissed in my ear. "You failed to protect him...in order to protect your own life."

I closed my eyes, and tried to block out his twisted words, but could not. I knew it was true. If I had focused on him...if I hadn't been so selfish and focused on protecting myself...I could've saved him. It was my fault. I failed. I failed. One of my worst fears, finally coming true. I failed.

I opened my eyes and lifted my head to see Aragorn still standing there, glaring at me. Tears streamed down my face. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"Sorry will not bring him back." Aragorn walked behind me, and I turned again. What I saw scared me yet again. Every single original member of the Fellowship was standing there before me, all with the same evil red eyes. Even Boromir.

I looked from face to face, shocked. "I...I...I didn't mean to! No! It was...it was my mistake! I-"

They all began to slowly walk towards me, and I stepped back in response. Then Frodo spoke. "Why did you do that, Íverin? Can you not ever think of anyone but yourself?"

"No!" I cried. "No! I didn't...I wouldn't..."

"There is no excuse that you can make that is worth his life," Gandalf said lowly. "You must pay for your actions."

I winced. That is exactly the kind of thing that he would say. "I'm so sorry..."

The Fellowship got even closer. They had me now, just a few steps away from the edge of the cliff, completely surrounding me. I knew there was no way out.

Even the pure, innocent voice of Sam was now cruelly twisted. "Come on now, miss. You can't let Mr. Legolas die like that without pay."

I hung my head. "Fine, then. What is it that you wish?"

Aragorn stepped closer again. "This." Without another word, he shoved my off the edge of the cliff.

I screamed as I plummeted to my doom. The last thing I saw was the glint of everyone's red eyes, and then I knew no more.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Whoever was shaking me was shaking me hard. "Íverin! Íverin, wake up! Íverin!"

I opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was Aragorn looming over me, with his hands on my shoulders. My eyes widened in fear. "No!" I screamed, thrashing underneath my sheets. "Get away! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! I didn't-"

"Calm down, child!" Now Gandalf was in my face. I closed my eyes, trembling in fear. "What in the world just happened?"

Tears flowed down my already wet cheeks. "I'm sorry, so sorry...I didn't mean to kill him...I swear..."

"Kill who?" Aragorn asked.

"L...Legolas," I whispered, preparing for the worst.

"What in Middle-Earth are you talking about? I am right here!"

I opened my eyes again to see Legolas standing right next to my bed, concern written all over his face.

I reached out and touched his arm. "You...you're alive!"

"Of course I am!" the confused elf said. "Why would I be dead?"

"But you...you fell...the beast...and the cliff...and..."

Aragorn knelt down and took my hands. "Íverin, it was just a nightmare. He is fine."

I finally looked into his eyes, and relief flooded through me. They were the normal blue-grey again. I looked over at Gandalf. His eyes were normal looking, too. I also noticed that Faramir, Gimli, and two other soldiers of Gondor were all standing around my bed. No red eyes anywhere. I exhaled shakily.

Gandalf looked at the men behind us. "There is no need to worry anymore. Faramir, thank you for alerting us. If you would give us a moment..."

"Of course." Faramir cast one last worried glance at me, and he and his soldiers left the room. Now it was just Gandalf, Gimli, Legolas, Aragorn, and me.

The kind old wizard looked back at me. "Now tell us, Íverin. What happened?"

I swallowed nervously, not eager to relive that nightmare at all, but described every detail for them. By the time I was done with my tale, they all looked quite disturbed and worried, especially Legolas. Not that I could blame them, anyway. "What did you all see? I mean, how did you know about my nightmare?"

"Well," Gandalf said, "I assume that Faramir had heard you, because he came running into my room and said that you were in distress. Of course, you woke up several others, and when we got here, you were lying in bed, screaming every now and again and mumbling something. You were crying, too. And now we know why." He glanced out the window. "Have you had any nightmares like this before?"

"Yes," I answered, "but never to this extreme."

"Were they any different than this one?" I nodded. The wizard frowned a bit. "How?"

I closed my eyes, remembering the horrible dreams I'd had in the past. "Well...one of them was about Minas Tirith, and some old forest...both burning, and I had to choose which one to save. The next one was about those I love dying, and so was the third, and now there's this one."

Gandalf closed his eyes momentarily and placed a hand on my forehead. "How long have these been going on?"

"Ever since Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and I were tracking the Uruk-Hai in Rohan."

Gandalf whispered some sort of spell, and I got an odd sensation of being...searched. Like the old man was probing through my mind, looking for something. Finally, he removed his hand, and looked at me. "Íverin, I...I honestly don't know what's going on. I believe that Sauron...he may be watching you. Has he ever been in your dreams?"

I nodded again. "Yes! Quite often, actually. This was the only one so far that he hasn't been in."

"Then that is, most likely, what is happening. He must have infiltrated your mind in some way. He cannot harm you, in fact, I think he is merely watching you. For whatever reason, I do not know. But you must be very careful what you say to him in your dreams or let him know. I regret to tell you that I cannot do much to help you at the moment, not until I have some time to sit down and figure this out, which I do not have at the moment. But...just be careful, alright?"

I smiled a bit. "I'll be careful, Gandalf. I promise."

He smiled back. "You should be fine, my dear. Now get some rest, all of you." He stood and motioned for the others to leave me be. One by one, they exited my room, with Legolas being the last to leave.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" he asked, his blue eyes full of concern.

I laughed softly and kissed his cheek. "You needn't worry about me, love. I've told you that more times than I can count."

He smiled. "As long as you are sure." With that, he left the room as well, leaving me alone.

I sighed and turned back to face the window, the red glow of Mordor on the horizon greeting me. What use was I to Sauron? Why would he choose to infiltrate my mind as opposed to someone else's? Yawning, I closed my eyes and snuggled deeper underneath my blankets. That was another mystery for another day.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The next day was rather uneventful, just another day of running around Minas Tirith, exploring every nook and cranny accessible, but this time with Legolas at my side. Once again, I found myself falling in love with the amazing city, interested in the smallest things, intrigued by the tiniest details. But I could not help but feel...slightly disconnected from Legolas the whole day. It seemed like something was bothering him, and I tried to figure out what it was, but to my frustration, I never got anything out of him.

Finally, as day turned to dusk, Legolas and I arrived back at the top level of the White City, ready to return to our temporary home for the night.

"So, did you have as much fun as I did?" I asked, smiling.

"Of course, love," he replied, but he still sounded off.

"And...you don't have anything that you'd like to tell me?"

He looked at me oddly, but I knew it was an act by now. "Why do you ask?"

I sighed and stopped walking. "Legolas, stop it! Why won't you just tell me what's wrong?"

"What in the world are you talking about?" Legolas responded, but I wasn't giving up now.

"Legolas, you do not have to hide anything from me. I know something's been on your mind all day. I can see it in your eyes."

For a moment, he didn't say anything, and I thought maybe I had offended him. But then Legolas sighed. "I am sorry. I did not want to tell you, but...I...I was afraid that you would not want to leave Gondor, now that you have returned and have been welcomed here."

"Why would you worry about that, my love?" I asked.

"Because I worried that you would want to stay here forever, and...and I would never see you again." Legolas blushed the tiniest bit and looked at his feet.

My heart melted, and I took his hands in mine. "Legolas..." He looked up, and I kissed him. "If you know me at all, you should know that I would never part with you forever. No matter what."

"You really mean that?" he said quietly.

"Of course I do." I linked his arm in mine, and together we walked into the palace once again. Not a moment after we had set foot in, we were met with a stern-faced Aragorn. "There you are, Legolas!" He relaxed a bit and smiled. "You're almost as bad as Íverin here. I keep losing you!"

Legolas laughed. "Forgive me, Aragorn. I did not know you wanted to see me."

"It is fine, my friend. I need to speak with you privately, so...if you don't mind, Íverin..."

I unlocked our arms. "Not at all." I watched as the two old friends walked away together, thinking about what I had said to Legolas. Could I really keep the promise I had just made?


	25. Journey to Mordor

**A/N: I'm so excited to finish this story up! Mainly because now we're getting into the scenes that I've been DYING to write ever since this story was brought into existence. I'm hoping that I'll have enough time to finish this by 2012, but...no promises. I've got a busy week ahead of me. I will try, though! Once again, thank you so much to all who have read/faved/watched/reviewed! Happy reading! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own a thing but Íverin, the three movies on DVD, and all 4 books. Sadly...T^T**

Our small group stood in the middle of the Great Hall of Minas Tirith, listening intently as Gandalf spoke. It had been three days since the Battle of the Pelennor, but the men were not satisfied with the victory. And to be honest, neither was I.

"Frodo has passed beyond my sight," the wise wizard said solemnly. I could see how worried he was for the young hobbit. "The darkness is deepening."

Aragorn was a bit more positive. "If Sauron had the Ring, we would know it."

"It's only a matter of time. He's suffered a defeat, yes, but behind the walls of Mordor, our enemy is regrouping."

I sighed as I stood next to Legolas and Éomer. "This is true. One victory is not enough. Sauron may be hiding away in Mordor at the moment, but he is not at rest. He never will be."

"Let him stay there. Let him rot! Why should we care?" Gimli piped up as he smoked on his long pipe.

"Because ten thousand Orcs now stand between Frodo and Mount Doom," Gandalf replied. That was also something to think about. There was no possible way for two tiny hobbits, more than likely starving and weak, to get all the way across Mordor without being discovered.

Gandalf looked out into the distance sadly. "...I've sent him to his death."

"Gandalf," I said. He turned to look at me, and I offered him a small smile. "There is always hope. As long as the Ring is not in Sauron's hands, there is still hope. We have come so far; to give up now would be folly."

"She's right," Aragorn said. "There is still hope for Frodo. He needs time, and safe passage across the plains of Gorgoroth. We can give him that."

"How?" Gimli asked.

I smiled. My cousin already had a plan. "Draw out Sauron's armies," Aragorn continued. "Empty his lands. Then we gather our full strength and march on the Black Gate." Gimli choked on the smoke from his pipe and coughed loudly in shock.

Now Éomer stepped forward. "We cannot achieve victory through strength of arms."

"Not for ourselves," Aragorn said, "but we can give Frodo his chance if we keep Sauron's eye fixed upon us." He looked over at Gandalf. "Keep him blind to all else that moves."

"A diversion," Legolas said. I smiled. It was brilliant.

Gimli was smiling knowingly, too. "Certainty of death! Small chance of success!...What are we waitin' for?"

But Gandalf was still indecisive. "Sauron will suspect a trap. He will not take the bait."

"No, I think he will," Aragorn smirked.

"Why wouldn't he?" I said. "What kind of Dark Lord would he be to refuse such an easy win?" Aragorn looked over, and his smile widened.

"Then it's settled! We leave in the mornin', no complaints or questions!" Gimli exclaimed, hopping up from his seat and striding off to prepare.

The rest of us looked at Gandalf, awaiting his final decision. Finally, the old wizard sighed, and when he looked back at me, I saw a familiar gleam in his eye. "I suppose there's not much else we can do, is there?"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

I stood in my room in the dim light of the early morning, dressing myself for the day's journey. As I slung my quiver over my back, I heard the door creak open slightly, and looked up to see Legolas walk in. He came up beside me, and we stood there for a moment, saying nothing.

After awhile, he said, "And you really mean to go through with this?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you just got shot a few days ago. I doubt fighting fiercely through a huge army of Orcs and other horrible monstrous things is good for a wound like that."

I scoffed. "Oh, please. You know I would never sit out on something like this." I reached for my dagger ans strapped it to my belt.

He chuckled. "Yes, I do know that. But...you do realize that this will, most likely, be the end of us?"

I stopped as I grabbed my sword and looked up at him. Quite honestly, I hadn't thought too much about that. Were the odds really against us that much? The outlook did, indeed, seem very bleak.

After a moment, I smiled and put my hands on his shoulders. "Legolas...to me, it matters not whether I am fighting ten thousand Orcs alone, or slaying a single Uruk-Hai with three hundred men by my side. I will never stop defending those I love."

Legolas smiled. "And neither will I. Especially if one of those loved ones is you." He kissed me gently.

I laughed a bit and gave him a hug. "And if this is to be our end," I whispered, "then it was one of the best endings I could've ever asked for."

Suddenly, there came a knock at my door. "Lady Íverin! It is time to leave!" came the shout of a Gondorian soldier.

"I'm on my way out!" I shouted back. Reaching again for my sword, and slinging my bow over my back, I cast a confident smile at Legolas. "Let's go kill some Orc."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

As our great company of Rohirric and Gondorian men, along with Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, the two hobbits, and myself, rode out from Minas Tirith, I couldn't help but cast one last longing glance at the glittering city behind us. "I will return someday," I said quietly.

"What's that, Íverin?" Pippin asked from beside me. He was sitting in front of Gandalf, who proudly led our troops on Shadowfax.

I looked down at my friend and smiled. "Nothing, Pippin." I lifted my head to see the evil horizon before us.

Pippin was looking at it, too. "Do you think this is worth it, Íverin? Throwing our lives away so carelessly?"

I frowned. "You're just as bad as the rest of the men."

"Sorry, I don't mean to be. But it's just...what if this is all for nothing, you know? What if Frodo's already dead? What if the Quest has already failed, and we just don't know it yet?"

I took a deep breath and thought about that. "...Then we will ride to Mordor with our heads held high, and fight for all that we love, even if it is certain to bring us death." I looked back at Pippin. "Besides, I would rather die with dignity and honor of such a glorious battle, then sit back in the palace, waiting for the Darkness to come and devour me while the rest of my friends go into battle."

Pippin smiled. "I would too. Even if it brings us death."

"Even if," I said. We laughed, enjoying what could very possibly be the last peaceful days of our lives. Or the last days of our lives, for that matter.

"Now now, dear friends, do not despair just yet," Gandalf said to us. "There's still one last treat I have in store for you. And I think you're all going to love it. Especially you and Legolas, Íverin."

I looked over at the old wizard. "Now what are you up to?"

He glanced at me with that mischievous gleam in his eye and looked forward again. "All in good time, my dear. All in good time."

And what a wonderful treat it was. For two days later, on the twenty-second of March, I laid eyes on what could easily be the most beautiful land I'd ever seen. I gasped upon our arrival. Our group of travelers came to the top of a large hill, and in the valley below was...I couldn't even describe it properly. A vast expanse of gorgeous trees, flowers, and other plants of every kind. Bubbling streams that branched out from the Anduin cut through the forest, and bright sunlight shone down on the place, casting a heavenly glow about it. I heard the calls of wild birds and animals that I had never heard before.

I looked over at Gandalf as we began our descent. "What is this place?"

He smiled. "Ithilien. The fairest land in the south. And our place of residence for the next two days."

Now I looked at Legolas, who rode beside me, looking just as mesmerized in the forests as I was. "If my father could see this..."

I nodded. "Never before have I seen such a fair land. It might even be better than Rivendell."

Naturally, Legolas and I took off together as soon as we had our tent set up, and spent the remainder of our free time relaxing and enjoying the comfort of the woods. The land was even better that it had looked from afar. I could see why it was called "the fairest of the south." It was like heaven. We immersed ourselves in the light, the laughter, the love of the trees. For quite awhile, we would simply stroll through the woods and talk to the trees together, or lay on our backs in a clearing and stare at the clouds as birds flew overhead.

After hours of spending time together and having fun, I sighed and watched a cloud shaped like a lily float in the sky. "I could live here for the rest of my life."

"I do not think I could abandon my home in Mirkwood so easily, but if ever I was to live anywhere else, it would be here. This is a wonderful realm. Could you imagine what it would be like if other elves lived here?"

I nodded. "That would be amazing." With a smile, I looked over at him. "Perhaps we should move here if we make it out if this mess alive and start a kingdom."

He laughed a bit. "That in itself would be an adventure." I laughed with him. After we stopped laughing, he reached out a plucked a beautiful indigo flower from the grass, and gently placed it in my hair. "You look beautiful."

I smiled and kissed him. "I love you, _n__î__n herma. _I would not trade anything in the world for you. Don't you ever forget that."

He wrapped his arm around me. "I never will, _Cala. _Ever."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Later that night, I emerged from my tent, shaken once again. I'd just had another nightmare. Moving quickly, I made my way to Gandalf's tent. Sticking my head in, I noticed that to old wizard was still sitting upright in his bed, looking down at his hands. "Gandalf?"

He looked up and smiled warmly at me. "Ah, Íverin. What can I do for you?"

I sat down in front of him. "It happened again. Another nightmare."

His expression turned grave. "So soon? Tell me everything."

"Well, this time, I couldn't really do anything. I was just...watching as it all happened, almost like a vision. I saw Frodo...he was lying on the ground in some sort of tower, and he looked dead. But then he opened his eyes, and he looked horrified. He wore no clothes, except for his pants, and his hands and feet were bound. Then an Orc came up behind him, and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him up. He said 'You should've learned your place long ago. Halflings belong in the Shire, not in Mordor. Especially ones who carry such great treasures.'" Tears came to my eyes as I spoke. "Then the Orc, he...he dropped Frodo on the ground, and held a blade to his neck. The last thing I saw was blood running down his chest, and I heard him scream, and...then the vision was over. I was so scared, Gandalf. I thought they'd killed him and found the Ring. Then Sauron himself appeared right in front of me, and in his physical form, too. Not as the Eye. He said to me 'Now do you see? I told you that it was worthless, trying to defeat me. Your friend is dead. There is nothing for you here. Join me now...or die.'"

I sighed as I finished my tale. "That was it. After that, I woke up, and came here."

Gandalf looked at me again with worry. "Did you tell him anything?"

"No. I said nothing, except occasionally begging him to stop hurting Frodo." I paused for a moment. "Do you...do you think that Sauron was telling the truth? Do you think they really did capture and kill him?"

"I do not know, Íverin. At this point, all we can do is pray that Frodo has not been discovered."

"And...we are still marching on the Morannon, correct?"

"Of course. We can't turn back now," he sighed.

I looked at Gandalf sadly. He seemed to have a heavy heart more and more these days. The darkness that flowed out of Mordor was weakening even him. "Gandalf...do not despair. There is still hope, even if it is not much. Just remember: things could always be worse."

He looked up with curiosity. "Might I ask how?"

I shrugged. "We could all be captured and in the process of being tortured by Sauron himself at this very moment. But we are not. Not yet. We've still got the strength and freedom to fight against him, even if the chances of victory are slim."

Gandalf finally smiled again. "Thank you, Íverin. For giving me hope."

"Not a problem, Gandalf." I gave the elderly wizard a hug.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Our final day in Ithilien was amazing. Legolas and I spent the entire morning exploring the forest even more, finding beautiful streams, rolling hills, and other areas of land that were seemingly perfect. When at last the time came to leave the beautiful woodland realm behind, my heart grew heavy. As I sat in my tent, finishing the packing for the remainder of our trip to the Black Gate, I noticed the Stone of Hope lying in the grass next to my bed. I took it in my hands, and watched as the original black color of the stone faded away to reveal a picture of Aragorn chasing me through the fields, a memory back from when we were much younger. After a moment, that picture gave way to another image, this one an image of Legolas and I standing next to each other, holding hands, as we watched the beautiful blood-red sunrise that we had seen in Rohan almost two months ago. I smiled to myself as I heard the words of Galadriel in my head. _"And do not despair, for you have others to comfort you. They will need you to be the light in their hour of darkness before the end."_

With the sadness lifted from my heart, I placed the magical stone into my bag. "I will be the light."

Not a moment later, Aragorn stuck his head inside my tent. "Are you soon ready to depart, Íverin?"

I turned to him and smiled. "Yes, I am. When do we leave?"

"First thing tomorrow morning. I suggest you get plenty of rest, for Gandalf says that we ride hard tomorrow."

"I will, Aragorn. Don't worry." Rising from my spot on the ground, I strode outside and took a quiet walk by myself in the woods for the last time. Softly, I sang a few songs of my childhood, songs of peace, happiness, and love.

At one point I arrived at the top of a very large hill which overlooked the majority of Ithilien, almost like a small mountain. I looked down upon our campsite, the white canvas tents dotting the grass underneath the trees. Then I looked east, and saw the outline of the borders of Mordor, with Mount Doom flaming red in the distance. Turning north, I saw a vast expanse of green, which I knew was Mirkwood, and an area of jagged white rocky hills, the Emyn Muil. Facing west, I saw the realm of Gondor, and a small part of Rohan, and the Great River, which I followed with my eyes, winding all the way down to the sea. I sighed. Somewhere out there, in Middle-Earth, was my destiny. And I had all the time in the world to discover it. In this journey, I had already traveled across half of the world out there, and if I did not find it here, on this adventure, then the choice would be up to me. Where would I go? I did not know yet. But I had a feeling I would find out. Someday.

As the sun began to set over the western horizon, bathing the sky in glows of pink, orange, purple, and blue, I smiled and headed back towards the camp, ready for the last part of the Quest that I had joined several months ago. As I walked, I sang a familiar song, one that Bilbo had taught me long ago, when I had first met him.

"_The Road goes ever on and on_

_down from the door where it began._

_Now far ahead the Road has gone,_

_And I must follow, if I can,_

_pursuing it with eager feet,_

_until it joins some larger way_

_where many paths and errands meet._

_And whither then? I cannot say."_


	26. The End of all Things

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm excited to get to this chapter, cause we've got another deleted scene coming up! :D Quick question: What did you guys think of me adding a song in at the end? I think that one fits Íverin pretty well, seeing as she's got a long road ahead of her. Where do you think she'll end up after all this is over?**

**Disclaimer: Íverin is the only thing that's mine. I don't own anything else!**

I took a quick drink of water from my flask as we rode on. The air was cool, the sun was high, and there weren't many clouds to be seen in the sky above us. We had left Ithilien two days ago, and had only stopped once to rest. The rumbling of Mount Doom was growing stronger, and the men were growing quieter as we rode on. We were close. So close to Mordor.

Hasufeld was growing nervous, too. I could feel it. Gently, I reached down and stroked his mane. "We are almost there, _n__î__n mellon _(my friend)."

Aragorn rode up beside me, looking absolutely regal in his new clothes that Faramir had provided him with. His cape flowed down from his shoulders, rippling slightly in the breeze. "This is it," he sighed.

I nodded. "The final battle. Are you nervous?"

He shook his head. "Not much. I have a feeling this plan will work."

"And if it does, what do we do next?"

Aragorn paused for a moment. "...we go home."

I exhaled. "For you, I suppose. Not for me."

"What do you mean by that?" he frowned.

"I don't know, I just...I feel like I do not have a permanent home anymore. I would be happy living in Gondor for the most part, but none of my friends live there. Rivendell, maybe, but I do not want to leave Legolas behind, either. I was considering going to live in Lothlórien for awhile, since that would be closer to Mirkwood, but I am not sure I would be content there, either."

"I know how you feel, cousin. I know I have a responsibility to my people in Gondor, but I do not want Arwen to be separated from me, for that would weigh to heavy on her heart, I fear."

I smiled a bit. "Perhaps we should just wait to see if we get through this day first, and then let our hearts decide."

He smiled. "Perhaps we should." We laughed for a moment, but that was cut short when we rounded a rocky bend. There before us stood the entrance to Mordor, the Black gate. It was made of filthy, hard black metal, with two menacing towers on either side, embedded into the mountains surrounding it. The sky beyond the Morannon was nothing but dark, rolling clouds, riddled with ash and dust. The air was thick with evil and darkness, and it felt like we were walking into death.

Our army huddled together in a large circle in front of the Black Gate. Aragorn and I took our places at the front. Legolas sat on his horse next to me, and reached over and squeezed my hand for support. I looked over and gave him a small smile.

Aragorn looked over at us. "Come on," he said quietly. I nodded, and a small group of us rode up closer to the Black Gate: Legolas, Gimli, myself, Merry, Pippin, Éomer, Gandalf, and Aragorn. Once we arrived, Aragorn shouted, "Let the Lord of the Black land come forth! Let justice be done upon him!"

For a moment, all was silent. I looked around, wondering if anyone had even heard him.

Then there was a loud creak, and then another, and slowly, ever so slowly, the entrance to Mordor opened a crack, just enough for an Orc on a lone horse to ride out. He reeked of evil, and wore thick black armor, with a jagged helmet so large that it covered every inch of his face except his abnormally large mouth. The skin around it was grey and cracked, somewhat bleeding in a few spots. We all watched in silence as he rode out to meet us.

"Who is that?" I whispered.

"I believe it is the Mouth of Sauron," Legolas whispered back. I looked up, and he was staring at the Orc with pure hatred in his eyes.

The Mouth of Sauron spoke, his voice deep and unnerving. "My master, Sauron the Great, bids thee welcome." He smiled, and I did everything I could not to cringe at the sight of his horrible brown teeth. Then, with more hostility, he said, "Is there any in this rout with authority to treat with me?"

"We do not come to treat with Sauron, faithless and accursed," Gandalf said sharply. The Mouth of Sauron growled. "Tell your _master _this: The armies of Mordor must disband. He is to depart these lands, never to return!"

To my surprise, the hideous thing had a twisted grin on his face. "Ah, old Greybeard. I have a token I was bidden to show thee." He reached into the depths of his clothes, and pulled out a shining silver shirt of mail.

I recognized it instantly, and my heart froze. Frodo's mithril...

Gimli gasped.

"Frodo..." Pippin whispered.

Horrible memories of my latest nightmare came flooding back to me. It could not be true. There was no way. He...Sauron...he had killed Frodo...it was...no...

The Mouth of Sauron growled again and threw the shirt at Gandalf, who caught it, staring at it in disbelief. I blinked, and felt hot tears come to my eyes.

"Frodo!" Pippin said, louder this time.

"Silence," Gandalf warned.

"No!" Merry cried out in despair.

"Silence!" Gandalf said firmly, but I could hear the unsteadiness in his voice.

That was just what Sauron's servant wanted to hear. "The Halfling was dear to thee, I see." I closed my eyes and lowered my head, trying to restrain myself from sobbing. Frodo and Sam...dead...two more of my close friends...gone...We had been too late. "Know that he suffered greatly at the hands of his host." Looking back up, I saw that even Aragorn seemed grief-stricken. I took a shaky breath, and Legolas put a hand on my shoulder for comfort, but even he looked shocked. "Who would've thought one so small could endure so much pain? And he did, Gandalf, he did."

Right as the dirty Orc said that, I saw a tear slide down Gandalf's cheek. Instantly, a burning anger rose in my heart. He had crossed the line right there. I shrugged Legolas's hand off of my shoulder and rode forward a bit so that I was in front of Gandalf, face to face with Sauron's minion. "Pain? You do not know the meaning of the word," I said lowly, glaring at him.

"Íverin!" Aragorn hissed. I knew he didn't want me getting hurt by this beast, but I didn't care.

The Mouth of Sauron smiled again. "Íverin? That name is familiar to me. Tell me, elf girl, why did you have your companions come when you knew of the Halfling's death before they?"

"My business is my own," I replied. "At this point, it would be better off for you to leave my sight, before I remove you from this earth myself." I never stopped giving him that cold glare, but subtly put my hand on the hilt of my dagger.

"My master has spoken with you, this I know. You know what awaits you here, do you not? Pain..." he turned his head to look at the rest of us, or Legolas in particular. "...and death to those you love.

That was it. Faster than any man or elf could follow, I ripped my knife from its sheath and plunged it deep into his cold, black heart. The Mouth of Sauron coughed and tensed in pain, and I pushed it in deeper, a fire in my eyes. "You can belittle and torture me all you like...but keep...your foul fingers...away from my loved ones. And your dirty army can tell Sauron that that message came from me personally," I said, my voice choked with rage. I removed my knife, and the Orc's corpse fell lifelessly off of the horse and onto the ground. His horse turned and ran off.

"I guess that concludes negotiations," Gimli muttered.

I turned back to the rest of our company. "We are not done here. We must fight for...for Frodo."

Aragorn nodded. He had a look on his face that told me he would've liked to kill the Mouth of Sauron, too. To the Black Gate, he shouted, "Come forth, armies of Mordor! Stop cowering behind your mountainous walls!"

The Black Gate creaked again in response, and opened once more, this time revealing a huge army of Orcs, marching and chanting as they made their way to our own army. My eyes widened as they approached. There were far more than ten-thousand Orcs now. Possibly fifty-thousand, or maybe even more than that.

Aragorn noticed their numbers, too. "Pull back...Pull back!"

Without hesitation, we rode back to our positions in the army of men, now looking increasingly smaller by each passing second. The Orcs were moving quickly now, closing in around us, so that we had nowhere to run. My heart raced, with both fear and adrenaline. I looked up at Legolas, who had dismounted his horse. I did the same, and leaned over to whisper a command in Hasufeld's ear. "Run back to the borders of Ithilien, my friend. Wait for me. If I live, I will come back for you." With a soft whinny, he obliged. I turned to Legolas and grabbed his hand. "Do you think we're going to make it through this?"

"Honestly? I do not," he said. "But I will fight with as much passion as I always have nonetheless."

I nodded. "As will I."

The Orcs, now having completely trapped us, gave a loud battle cry. Many of the Men cringed in fear. Aragorn, who was still on Corror, began riding back and forth in front of our troops. "HOLD YOUR GROUND! Hold your ground! Sons of Gondor! Of Rohan! My brothers! I see in your eyes, the same fear that would take the heart of me!" His gaze swept over every one of us. "The day may come...when the courage of Men fails. When we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day! An hour of woes, and shatter shields when the age of Men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! THIS DAY WE FIGHT!" A small smile grew on my face. That was the Aragorn I knew.

"By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you STAND! MEN OF THE WEST!" With that, he raised his sword, and was answered with the clatter of hundreds of others, including my own. Aragorn turned and held Anduril high, with his horse reared up in its hind legs as he faced Sauron's army. He truly did look like a king fighting for his people.

The Orcs continued their chants, and the light of Sauron's Great Eye bore down on us. As Aragorn finally dismounted his horse, I turned and gave Legolas one last kiss. "I love you, Legolas. Always remember that."

"I love you too, Íverin. I shall not forget it."

After a moment, Gimli said, "Never thought I'd die fighting side by side with a couple of elves."

Legolas looked at him and smiled. "What about side by side with your friends?"

Gimli looked at us for a moment, and returned the smile. "Aye. I can do that." The three of us stood there for a moment, waiting, just like every other warrior behind us.

And then I looked up at Aragorn. He looked strong, ready to fight...when he lowered his sword. I frowned. "Aragorn?" He did not respond. He was staring at the Great Eye. I gasped. Oh Valar, please don't tell me Sauron's trying to seduce him now...not now... "Aragorn!"

My cousin turned, and for a moment I half expected his eyes to turn red. But instead, he simply smiled. "For Frodo." With that, he gripped his blade once more and ran forward, charging straight at his foes with confidence.

Merry and Pippin also gave cries of battle, and ran after him. A moment later, the rest of the men joined in, and I found myself running alongside everyone else, with my blade held high, ready to tear into some Orc flesh. "FOR FRODO!"

Legolas started shooting as soon as we started running. "Íverin! Stay with me!"

"No promises, Legolas! But I'll certainly try!" Within seconds, I had stabbed my first Orc. Then I felled another, and another, and another. I moved with agility and precision, using every move I'd ever been taught when I was young. The entire time, I never stopped thinking: _Fight for Frodo. Fight for your father and mother. Fight for Sam. Fight for Boromir. Fight for Th__é__oden. Fight for those who cannot fight anymore._

I shot my fist out and punched another Orc in the face, then brought my blade across his chest, knocking him down. Another one came up beside me, and I stabbed him in the stomach. Yet another tried to knock me down, and I hit him in his soft spot and killed him as well. More and more Orcs kept coming at me, and I kept on killing every last one of them. _Fight for Rivendell. Fight for Gondor. Fight for the Shire. Fight for Rohan. Fight for Middle-Earth._

Whipping out my knife in my other hand, I slashed three more Orcs across their necks, sending them down with their comrades. Another one tried to attack me from behind, but I spun around as fast as I could, swinging my blade, and got rid of him and about four other Orcs in the process. I had to keep going. I couldn't stop. I wouldn't stop.

Right when I was in the middle of cutting of one Orc's arm, an earsplitting screech filled the air. I looked up. The Nazgûl, riding their Fell Beasts, were swooping through the air, ready to run right through us. If they got into this fight, we were as good as dead within the next thirty seconds.

In the moment that I looked up, I made the fatal mistake of forgetting about my opponent for a split second, and that was all he needed to land a solid punch at my neck. I clenched my teeth and swung my sword down again, finishing him off.

Suddenly, another thing swooped over my head, and I ducked on instinct, thinking it was a Ringwraith about to end my life. While I was down low, I grabbed an Orc's legs and toppled him over, who managed to knock down a few more of his friends. But when I looked back up to the skies, I saw that five eagles had come, and were now starting a brawl in the air with the Nazgûl and their winged monsters. I smiled as I heard Pippin's chant from nearby. "Eagles! The eagles are coming!" They cawed majestically in response, and attacked with no mercy.

I refocused on killing as many Orcs as I could, my knife and blade moving faster than I had ever thought possible. Stab, spin, slice, repeat. It was a smooth method. For me, the battle seemed to be going well.

I heard another shout from nearby, and snapped my head up to see Legolas shouting for me and pointing at something. I followed his gaze to see Aragorn going at it one on one with a troll twice his size. He was doing alright, until the troll shoved him back and sent him flying, landing hard on the ground. Without hesitation, I ran towards them, screaming his name. "Aragorn! Aragorn!"

I pushed my way through the crowd of Orcs as fast as I could, but they kept slowing me down. I pressed on, beheading several unfortunate souls who happened to get in my way. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Legolas trying to get to him, too. As I ran, I watched in horror as Aragorn rolled over and tried to stand, only to have the troll walk up and pin him down with his foot, crushing him. "NO!" I screamed and broke through to the troll, slashing at his side again and again. "YOU! WILL! NOT! TOUCH! MY! COUSIN!" I ducked as he swung his arm out to bat me away, but I was too late, and he flung me off to the side as well. "ARAGORN!" I screamed. He ripped out his knife and drove it deep into the troll's foot, who roared in pain.

I sat up on the ground, and a second later, Legolas lifted me up onto my feet. He looked panicked. "Íverin! Are you alright?"

I nodded and turned around to stab another Orc in the gut. "Yes! I am..." Twisting to the left, I hit another one in the shoulder. "...fine!" Orcs had surrounded us again, so that we were cut off from Aragorn once more. I could still see the large form of the troll towering over him.

The two of us went back to cutting our way through the army of evildoers. We were making little progress, and pain throbbed in my shoulder again. Then Legolas said, between slashes of killing more Orcs, "Íverin! There is something...I have wanted to ask you...for a very...long time!"

"And...what would that be?" I said as I struggled against another Orc.

He paused to catch his breath and looked me in the eye. "Will you marry me?"

My mouth dropped open slightly in shock. I was about to respond, when suddenly, there came a great shriek and roar from somewhere inside of Mordor. Every single breathing being stopped at that moment to look up, whether they were our friends of foes. And what we saw...was perhaps the greatest thing anyone of the Third Age would ever see.

It started with our enemies fleeing. Every Orc that had just been fighting us and showing no mercy two seconds earlier suddenly turned on their heels and ran, pushing us aside, no longer fighting us, just wanting to get away. Turning around, I saw the huge troll that had been crushing Aragorn to death the moment before stumble through the crown in fear, running away with the rest of Sauron's minions. The rest of us who were fighting for Middle-Earth's freedom, stopped what we were doing and stared into Mordor, wide-eyed. If they were running away...that could only mean one thing.

And then came the crumbling of Barad-Dur. Sauron's Eye widened in fear, and for once in my lifetime, I saw what he looked like when he was afraid. The black stone cracked and began to break, and the Eye continued to shrink, growing smaller and smaller as his fortress fell farther. A huge smiled appeared on my face. They were alive. Frodo and Sam had been alive the whole time, and to top it off, they had succeeded. We had won.

I turned and tackled Legolas in a hug, kissing him hard. He returned the kiss and spun me around. "We did it!" I shouted. "We won!" Tears of happiness flowed down my face.

Sauron continued to shrink even more, until finally, he was no more than a ball of flame the size of my palm. Then he exploded, and a great force swept across Mordor and all over Middle-Earth,

"FRODO!" Merry shouted beside us. "FRODO!"

We all watched in awe as the very earth that made up Mordor began to sink into a bottomless chasm, taking every Orc in existence with it. The Morannon also buckled and fell to ruin, and in the midst of it all, Legolas looked down at me and beamed. "So...should I take that as a yes?"

I grinned and kissed him again. "Of course, my love. I accept." I closed my eyes and relaxed, soaking in the glory and triumphant feeling of it all. I had just watched the enemy of the free peoples of Middle-Earth be destroyed, there would be no more evil in the world, I had made it through alive, and on top of all that, I was now engaged to the prince of Mirkwood. My life was perfect. This whole moment was perfect.

And then Mount Doom exploded.

I smiled and continued to kiss my future husband. No more Mount Doom...no more...wait. Frodo and Sam. Were they?...

I ripped away from Legolas, and I could tell that he had just realized it, too. Mount Doom. Frodo and Sam had been in Mount Doom. And it had just exploded, with them in it.

We all stopped mid-cheer. Tears started flowing down my face. "No...after all they've done...F...Frodo...Sam..." I didn't even care that the fire spewing from Mount Doom was easily taking out the Fell Beasts and the Black Riders. They were gone. They had sacrificed their lives to save all of us, and now they were gone. Dead. Never to return.

Pippin was on the ground next to us, sobbing. "Frodo...Frodo..."

I jumped out of Legolas's arms and ran up to Gandalf. "Oh Gandalf...they...they..."

He nodded. He was crying as well. I buried my face in his robes for a moment, when an idea came to mind. "Can...can we not look for them?"

At this point, the rest of the original Fellowship had gathered around us. "Íverin, I...I do not think that they-"

I looked up at him. "Please!" I cried desperately. "It would not hurt to look for them, at least! We must try...please!"

After a long moment of silence, Gandalf finally sighed and gave in. "I suppose we could look. But...do not get your hopes up." He called out to the heavens in some odd language I'd never hear before, and three of the great eagles swooped down and landed behind him. Turning to me, he asked, "I assume you would like to come with me?"

I nodded and climbed on the back of one. Legolas got on behind me. Gandalf climbed atop another, and we took off. The entire ride, we sat in silence, eyes frantically searching the lava-covered land, headed towards Mount Doom. Although the closer we got, the lower my spirits sank. Nothing could be seen for miles but boiling hot lava and a few dark islands of rock. There was no way they made it. To spend time searching this barren wasteland was folly. We both knew it, but said nothing.

And then, just when I thought we should turn back, I saw it. Two tiny, exhausted, dirty figures, no bigger than a speck of dust to the regular human eye, but to my own, they were perhaps the most wonderful specks of dust I had ever seen. "Gandalf! GANDALF!" I cried, my voice cracking with relief. "I see them! They're alive!"

Legolas saw them, too, and together we guided the eagles to our poor friends. Sure enough, there lay Frodo and Sam, hungry, starved, and tired beyond measure. Gently, Gandalf had the eagles pick each of them up in their large talons. I watched as both of them remained still in the clutches of the eagles, not even so much as opening their eyes as we flew back to Minas Tirith. I closed my eyes, took Legolas's hand, and prayed that we were not too late.


	27. An Unexpected Passing

**A/N: Well! That was quite an interesting last chapter, if I do say so myself! ;) I really wish I had the extended editions of the movies, especially Rotk. The Mouth of Sauron is one of my favorite deleted scenes. The music is so awesome, and the scene itself was heartbreaking, but awesome at the same time. Anyways, here's another chapter for ya! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Lord of the Rings! Leave me alone! D:**

I stood against a wall, a little ways away from Frodo's room, dressed in my favorite purple dress with silver trim on the neckline and cuffs of my sleeves, along with comfortable slippers, a belt of silver beads, and a hairpiece to match. Gandalf had said that the young hobbit should awaken today, for the first time since the fall of Sauron five days ago. Sam had already awoken, and there had been quite the merry reunion between him and the rest of the Fellowship, minus Boromir, of course. Things, since then, had seemed to almost instantly go back to normal, save for a few. Legolas and I were, of course, starting to make plans for our wedding, which was to be held back in Mirkwood. He had sent a letter the day we returned to Gondor telling of our return in the next few months, and of our wedding, which was to take place as soon as we got back. And then there was Aragorn's coronation to worry about, which was already being set up, and to take place in the next month or so.

Speaking of Aragorn and Legolas...I straightened up as I heard voices nearby. I smiled when I saw my two favorite men in the entire world appear at the end of the hallway, talking to themselves and walking my way. As soon as Legolas saw me, he beamed and waved to me. "There you are, love!" I ran up to him and kissed him, laughing. "I thought you had run off without me again."

I leaned back and looked at him. "Why would I do that? It's no fun if I don't get to drag you around with me."

Aragorn looked at us and smiled. "Congratulations, to the both of you. Am I correct in assuming that I am invited to this wedding of yours?"

"Of course you are!" I exclaimed. "Why wouldn't you be?"

"Did I not tell you?" Legolas said. He looked at me gravely. "Men are not allowed to enter Mirkwood. It is our law."

I looked at him, confused. "Wait, what? But I thought you..."

He smiled again and laughed. "I am joking, Íverin."

I gasped in fake shock and laughed with him. "I am offended."

Suddenly, Merry and Pippin ran right past us, charging down the hallway, stumbling as they went. I raised an eyebrow at them. "And where in the world do you think you're going?"

"To see if Frodo's awake yet!" Pippin cried.

I laughed and looked back at my fiancee and cousin. "Well, they've certainly recovered from the journey quickly, haven't they?"

Aragorn smiled, too. "You know hobbits. They're impossible to figure out."

Then, out of nowhere, Gimli also came flying around the corner and sped down the hallway towards Frodo's room. I could hear laughter coming from inside. "I guess we had better go see him, too!" I said. Grabbing Legolas's hand, we walked down the corridor together.

When we appeared in the doorway, Merry and Pippin were already bouncing around on his bed, and Gimli and Gandalf were standing at the foot of it, laughing and watching. Frodo looked all cleaned up and healthy as ever, and he smiled upon seeing us. "Íverin! Legolas!" I grinned, and we walked over. Once he noticed we were holding hands, he gave us a look. "I guess I've missed a lot, haven't I?" We all laughed.

The young hobbit's eyes flicked to someone behind us. "Aragorn!" My cousin also came up and stood beside us.

Eventually, even Sam joined us, and there we stood, the Fellowship of the Ring, fully reunited. Well, almost. I thought of Boromir, the only one who had sacrificed his life on our journey. Though we would always grieve for his loss, it was not in vain. He died for a purpose, to defend the rest of us, and to help us continue in our quest. And now it was over. Sauron was gone. I was happy. All of us were happy. And that was more than I could ever ask for.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

It had been exactly one month and a day since the Fellowship had been reunited. May first, to be exact. I stood with Legolas, and several other elves, on the top tier of Minas Tirith, in a huge crowd of people gathered to see the crowning of Aragorn, or King Elessar, as he was now known. I wore a long, floor-length gown, with a pale blue under layer from the waist down, and with panniers and a corset top in a beautiful robin's egg blue. Small pearls were dotted across the chest line, and a delicate pearl hairpiece was on my brow. Legolas was dressed in a shining silver shirt and looked just as royal as I.

We all watched as Gandalf stood at the top of the steps leading into the Gondorian palace and placed a silver crown on Aragorn's head. He, of course, was dressed in royal capes and clothes that and king would wear.

"Now come the days of the King!" said the wizard. Then, with a small smile, he added, "May they be blessed."

Aragorn turned around, and we burst into applause. I beamed as my cousin stood tall. He really did belong on the throne. When the audience quieted down a bit, be spoke. "This day does not belong to one man, but to all. Let us together rebuild this world that we may share in the days of peace."

We applauded him again, and he came down the steps to greet him friends and citizens. The White Tree of Gondor rained petals of flowers from above in honor of its new ruler. Legolas and I stepped forward, and Aragorn smiled and put a hand on each of our shoulders.

"Good luck, cousin," I said. "You will rule Gondor well, I know it."

He smiled. "Thank you, Íverin. I wish you the best in ruling Mirkwood as well."

"Not Mirkwood," Legolas corrected him. "It shall be called Greenwood the Great once more, now that Dol Guldur is surely vanquished from the forest, along with its shadow."

Aragorn smiled, and was about to reply, when he saw something – or someone – out of the corner of his eye. We stepped back, and he made his way up to a fair maiden carrying a pole bearing a pale green banner with the symbol of Gondor, the Whit Tree, sewn into it. The banner was moved aside to reveal none other than Arwen, dressed in an elegant green gown and beaded hairpiece. Aragorn walked up to her, and they looked at each other for a moment. Finally, he kissed her, and she returned it gladly. The crowd applauded again as they enjoyed their moment.

As I stood and watched my cousin be reunited with his true love, Legolas nudged my arm. I looked up at him. "What is it?"

He smiled. _"Aur onnad meren, n__î__n meleth _(Happy birthday, my love)."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"So how does being able to shoot an arrow make you a better warrior than me?"

"Oh please, dear. Everyone knows that the bow is a better weapon than a sword in the first place, which makes me the better fighter," Legolas joked.

"I beg to differ! Which one of us killed more Uruk-Hai at Helm's Deep, me or you?"

He frowned. "That does not count! I was injured!"

"And you call yourself the better warrior?" I playfully punched him in the arm and laughed. He laughed along with me. "I love you, Legolas. Have I told you that lately?"

"Yes, you have."

"I'm going to tell you that every single day, so that you never forget it."

"I can live with that."

I laughed again and looked around as we slowly trotted on our horses through the trees. We had entered Greenwood yesterday, on August the fifteenth, and I already loved it here. Not as much as Ithilien, but still, this forest was beautiful. The trees were massive, their branches twisting and becoming entwined with one another, and their thick leaves providing a wonderful canopy of shade for us to escape the hot sun. I could easily see myself living here for the rest of my life.

As we got closer and closer to the area where all the wood-elves live, which Legolas said was called Laketown, he told me about the palace, and the people living there, and the forest itself.

"You are going to love it, Íverin! The palace has all kinds of places for you to explore, and we can have a room set up for you. I can show you our two tailors, Atanóne and Valie, and they will make you any type of dress you would like. We will have to go exploring in the woods sometime, as well. I must show you the Mountains of Greenwood, and all the hidden caves I have found there over the years...it will be so much fun!" He was so excited.

I smiled. "I am looking forward to it, that's for sure. Maybe we can go horseback riding through the forest sometime. I would like to do that, too."

"Oh, of course, _Cala. _After we get you settled in, we can do anything you would like. And we cannot forget to-"

Suddenly, there came a shout from nearby in the trees. _"Ernil Legolas! _(Prince Legolas!)"

He turned away from me and to the sound of the voice. _"Iston le? _(Do I know you?)" he responded. We stopped our horses.

A tall, lean elf dressed in armor and with dark black hair and blue eyes came running to us from ahead. Apparently, he was one of the royal guards, for Legolas smiled when he saw his face. "Ah, Lómion. _Mae govannen. Man an__í__rach cerin an le? _(Well met. What can I do for you?)"

Lómion did not answer him, for he had a worried looked in his face. In fact, he did not even acknowledge me. _"N__î__n heru, goheno n__in, pethe le erreth tolo hi. Lîn ada sen gurthin _(My lord, forgive me, but you must come now. Your father is dying).

Legolas's eyes widened, as did mine. _"Sen...sen tîr? _(Is... is this true?)" Lómion nodded. Without another word, Legolas sped off on his horse, tearing through the trees. I followed him, moving as quickly as I could in the unfamiliar territory. "Legolas, wait!"

After several minutes of riding, we emerged into what I assumed was Laketown, not even slowing as we galloped down the center street, headed for the huge palace in the distance. I barely even had time to look at my new home, I could only focus on doing my best to keep up with Legolas. As we approached the huge gates in front of the castle, they were pulled open, and Legolas sped right through, just barely slowing down to jump off his horse and run inside. I followed him as best I could, but quickly lost him in the maze of hallways in Greenwood's palace. The first elf I saw, I stopped. _"Man sad Aran Thranduil? _(Where is King Thranduil?)" The servant, a woman with black hair and brown eyes, quickly led me through the palace until we came to a room with a closed door labeled "Infirmary." She gently pushed open the door and I stepped inside.

The room was almost entirely white, save for the beige colored floors. Several servants and healers stood with their backs to the walls, some holding trays with various bottles filled with different types of medicines and tonics. Several large cots were scattered about the room, but there was only one in use.

A tall man with pale brown hair and blue eyes just like Legolas's was lying on the makeshift bed, dressed in deep brown robes, and with a crown of lush green leaves, studded with brown gems on his head. There was several bandages wrapped around his chest, and blood was seeping through them. The man looked deathly pale, and I knew instantly that this was the King.

Legolas was kneeling beside him, holding one of Thranduil's pale hands in his own. _"Ada..._(father), Ada, it is me. Legolas." His voice was already shaky.

The weakened elven-king looked over at his son. "Legolas...you are home...safely..."

"Yes, Ada. Yes...I am alright."

"Legolas...I am dying...you must take...my place...as king."

Turning around, Legolas motioned for me to come over. Tears filled his eyes, and seeing him in this state made me want to cry as well. I stepped closer so that I was standing behind him and smiled at King Thranduil. "Hello, my lord."

"Ada, I have found her," Legolas whispered, "my wife."

King Thranduil smiled weakly and looked at me. "My dear...I am sorry that...we could not have met...under better circumstances." He turned back to his son. "Legolas...I am proud of you. And...I love you."

Tears slid down Legolas's face. "I love you too, Ada."

The King blinked slowly, and he locked eyes with Legolas one last time. "Goodbye..little leaf..." He closed his eyes and said no more.

"No...Ada! Please! I...Ada..." Legolas laid his head on his father's stomach, and his body shuddered as he tried to conceal his sobs. A strangled cry escaped his lips.

I placed a hand on his back for a brief moment, and then turned to the rest of the servants in the room. "He needs to be alone," I said. They all nodded, and quietly left the room. I left last, closing the door behind me, my heart breaking in two at the sound of my prince's sobs.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Legolas remained alone in the infirmary with his father for the rest of the day. I remained outside of the infirmary door, stopping anyone from entering and invading his privacy. I myself never went in, either. I knew that Legolas was not one for comfort when it came to things like this. He just needed some time to be by himself, and think.

After hours of him being in solitude, the crying finally ceased, and he came out. I looked up at him, and almost cringed. If he had ever had any composure, it was gone now. His face was red, and tears still stained his cheeks. His hair, which normally was perfectly in place, was all over the place. In short, he looked horrible, but I could not blame him. I had also done my share of crying over the loss of Thranduil, whom I barely even spoke to before he died. It was a sad thing, really. He was to be my father-in-law, and he never even knew my name.

In any event, I stood and looked at Legolas. "Are you going to be okay?" He said nothing, just shook his head a bit. "Would you like to go up to your room?" He nodded. I smiled weakly and walked upstairs with him to his room on the second floor. He stepped inside, and I gave him a quick kiss before I left. "Everything's going to be okay,_ herma_. Don't worry."


	28. The Big Day

**A/N: Here we go, the final (official) chapter! :D I honestly can't thank you guys enough for all your support, whether it be reviews, faves, plain old reading, whatever. You're all awesome! Before we start, I thought I'd give you guys a heads up: The sequel to this story will be coming very soon. I've got the basic plot figured out, but there's still a couple of details for me to tweak before I upload the first chapter. And another thing: I realize now that there's a handful of things I missed in this story, so I'd like to kind of go back and edit it a bit, just for the purpose of accuracy. With that said, happy reading! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings, I only own Íverin. **

My eyes slowly fluttered open, taking in the bright sunlight of the early morning. I subconsciously reached out for the hand that I expected to be there, and was surprised to feel nothing but sheets on the bed. I turned my head to find an empty space where my lover had been sleeping the previous night. Why wasn't he there? He almost never woke up earlier than me.

And then I remembered. Our wedding day. Today was our wedding day! I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom, bathing as quickly as I could. A million thoughts ran through my head at a mile a minute. I was getting married to Legolas. I was going to become the queen of Greenwood today. Today! It seemed like forever ago that we had been casually talking amongst ourselves on the slopes of Caradhras, on a quest to save the world, yet I could remember it as clear as day. Who would've ever thought I would fall in love along the way?

Once I had cleaned myself up, I ducked back into our large master bedroom and yanked a fresh dress out of the closet. Not my wedding dress, that would come later. Pulling the silky lavender fabric over my head, I put on a pair of silver slippers and headed downstairs to the dining hall, where I knew Legolas would be waiting for me.

Sure enough, there at the head of the table sat my handsome prince, finishing his breakfast. As soon as I saw him, I ran up and sat down next to him as one of the servants brought me my own morning meal. "Why didn't you wake me?"

He looked up and smiled. "Ah, there you are, _Cala_." Legolas lightly planted a kiss on my forehead. "I am sorry, but you looked so peaceful. I did not want to disturb your rest. Are you excited?"

"Why wouldn't I be, Legolas?" I grinned. "After all, I am getting married to the love of my life today."

"As am I."

"Really?" I said sarcastically. "What's she like?"

He laughed. "She is the most beautiful, wonderful, intelligent elf-maiden I have ever met, with eyes that shine like emeralds, and a smile that sparkles under the sun."

I blushed a bit. "And I," I said, "am lucky enough to be the bride of the elf of my dreams. Strong, sweet, charming, funny...and able to slay an Oliphaunt with just three arrows."

Legolas smiled again, then sighed, looking off into the distance. "...It feels like so long ago."

"I know. But I still have that scar."

"Really? I never noticed it."

"Well, it is not that noticeable," I said. "Besides, my dresses usually cover it." I quickly finished eating. "Speaking of dresses...I should probably go get mine. What time is it?"

"Just after eight, I believe." Legolas rose from his seat, and a servant came to clear his plate.

I did the same. "Good. Then we have plenty of time to get ready." Before I left to go find Valie, my personal tailor, I gave him one last kiss. "I love you, _herma."_

OoOoOoOoOoOo

I exhaled as Arwen finished tucking the last few stray pieces of hair back into place. "There! You are all done!"

Turning on my heels, I looked at myself in the mirror. "Wow..." I breathed.

Normally, I am not one to brag about myself, but I looked amazing. The dress consisted of a maroon-colored corset top with a thick golden neckline and bunched short sleeves that were studded with small pearls. At my waist, it split into two layers: the under, which was the same maroon color with a golden flower pattern sewn into it, and the outer layers, which was gold, lined with pearls along the edges. My hair was freshly washed, dried, and pulled up into a curly bun, with a few locks of hair hanging down on my neck. One had a golden thread woven into it.

Arwen looked just as happy with her work. "You look wonderful, Íverin."

"Absolutely gorgeous," Valie agreed.

"Thank you," I said. Arwen handed me my bouquet, made of three different types of flowers that I had come to love during our journey across Middle-Earth. The small, delicate white flower of Rohan, symblmerne, the magical, golden blossom of Lórien, elanor, and several vibrant red roses from Imladris. They were tied together with a shimmering golden ribbon.

I gripped the bouquet firmly and looked back at my girls, who had helped me prepare myself. "Are you nervous?" Valie asked.

"Oddly enough, no," I said. "I am just...happy. Happy and excited."

"You should be. Legolas is an honorable man, no doubt," Arwen replied.

I was about to say more, when suddenly, the fanfare of Greenwood's elven horns sounded from outside. My heart raced. It was time.

Arwen led me to the doorway of my dressing room. "Good luck!"

I flashed her a confident smile and looked across the foyer of the palace to see Legolas and Aragorn standing together in the doorway of the opposite room. Legolas beamed when he saw me, and I smiled back. Aragorn gave me a wink from behind him.

Then the captain of Greenwood's army, a good friend of Legolas's named Galahen, spoke. _"Hi celeth__ë__ Heru Legolas eth Hiril __Íverin en Eryn Lasgalen eth Imladris _(Now presenting Lord Legolas and Lady Íverin of Greenwood and Rivendell)!"

I took another deep breath, and together we walked out, meeting in the middle of the foyer. Legolas extended his arm, and I gladly took it. Keeping a steady pace, we walked down the center of the steps leading to the palace entrance and out into the front yard, where the ceremony was being held.

I smiled and nodded to the elves who looked my way as I had been instructed, but I could not help but steal a glance at Legolas every now and again. He looked absolutely stunning, dressed in a golden suit with a royal red sash across his torso, hair and eyes sparkling as they always were.

Once we finally made it to the platform at the head of the crowd, we stopped and turned to face each other, and he took my hands in his.

_"Tior palé allethrenna lle únethrie en a edhel eth edhelwen her ellohin wena siquë óre _(Today we celebrate the unity of an elf and elf-maiden who hold each others hearts)." Galahen paused and looked to Aragorn and Arwen, who sat in the front row, along with Gandalf, Lady Galadriel, and Lord Celeborn. _"Iant canath lle gwenneth annath, glassen _(Bring forth the wedding gifts, please)."

Aragorn stood and walked up so that he stood beside Legolas, holding a pillow with a small trinket on it. Legolas let go of my hands and took it, and in smooth, perfect Elvish, he said, "From the first day that I ever met you, I knew of your love for the forest, and your connection with the world around you. And so, as a token of my love for you, Íverin, I give you a pendant bearing a single emerald leaf, the emblem of Greenwood. May you forever treasure it and keep it close to your heart." He gently placed it around my neck. It was beautiful. I absolutely loved it. But I had to present my gift as well.

Aragorn stepped down, and Arwen came up beside me, holding another pillow with my gift. I smiled as I picked it up. My dagger. "Legolas, you and I have fought many battles together, and hopefully we will never have to go through that again. But I will always remember you as the strongest and bravest fighter I have ever known, and for that, I present you with my knife, as a tribute to the adventure that got us here in the first place." I handed it to him, and he smiled, nodding in thanks. Arwen went back to her seat. There was a brief applause for a moment, and the we moved into the coronation

Galahen took a silver goblet, filled to the brim with wine and studded with rubies, and handed it to us. "As a symbol of acceptance to both each other and the ruling crowns of Greenwood the Great, drink from the goblet at this time." We each took our drinks, never breaking eye contact with one another.

I handed the goblet back to Galahen, and Legolas and I turned to face the crown once more. From the back of the audience, to soldiers came forth, each carrying a crown for us. We stepped down and bent forward, and a moment later I felt a ring of gold set upon my head, studded with purple gems, representing my royal color. Legolas wore an equally impressive crown of gold, but his gems were brown, as he had requested in memory of his father. We straightened again, and Galahen spoke once more.

"I present to you, King Legolas and Queen Íverin, rulers of Greenwood!"

There came a loud cheer from the crowd, and they got on their feet, some throwing rose petals for us. At that moment, I turned and grabbed my new husband by the collar, pulling him into a passionate kiss. He kissed me back, and picked me up, holding me bridal style as we walked back into the palace, the songs of my people filling my ears.

_A Bereth thar Ennui Aeair!_

_Calad ammen i reniar_

_Mi 'aladhremmin ennorath._

_A Elbereth Githoniel,_

_I chin a thûl lín míriel..._

O Queen beyond the Western Seas!

O light to us that wander

Amid the tree-woven lands of Middle-Earth.

O Elbereth Star-kindler,

Your eyes and breath are like shining jewels...

~THE END~


End file.
